Before Heading Out

Private vs. Public Land and Permission

Field workers are almost always dealing with land either owned or controlled by people other than themselves. In a very general sense lands can be classified as either privately or publicly owned, but this distinction can sometimes be blurred. Field workers must be conscious of the various systems, and nuances, of land tenure.

Most of us think of lands such as that on which our homes are located as being privately owned and used. Similarly, we think of land dedicated to things such as roads and parks as being public land, owned by the government and used by everyone. However, in many cases, lands can be owned by one party and used by another. The typical rental house is a case with which we can all identify. In other cases, public lands can be leased for specific purposes. For example, National Forests are owned by the U.S. government, but often enough sections are leased to numerous different parties for multiple purposes. Not infrequently, a particular parcel is leased to a certain rancher to graze an allotted number of cattle, a wood products company to harvest timber, and a mining company to extract minerals, all simultaneously.

The confusion of ownership-usership is not limited to public lands which are privately leased. In some cases privately owned land is used by the general public. Shopping malls, amusement parks, and even some nature areas such as caverns fall into this category.

Okay, what does all this mean? Quite simply, in order to carry-out a successful field project one should get permission from as many parties (owners and users) as possible. Before leaving home, try to ascertain whom you need to speak to prior to beginning work. If you cannot determine who owns and controls the land on which you will be working ahead of time, do so as soon as you arrive in the study area.

Be courtious, polite, and professional. Think about how you would feel if someone wanted to conduct research on your land.

Once you identify someone of authority, usually the person living or working on the land, explain your intensions and desires and ask his or her permission. Be sure to inquire if there are other parties you should contact. For example, if you are doing an ecological assessment of some land in New Mexico and you encounter a person living on the land in your study area, ask if the land is private or publicly owned. Ask if the person is the owner or a leasee. If the latter, ask where you might find the owner. If the former, ask if there are any leasees. Get permission from as many people as possible.

Be careful. You might be working in a national forest, which is public land, but if you are measuring a tree, it might belong to Geogia-Pacific.

Letters and Permits

When conducting field work, it is a very good idea to carry an official letter of introduction. At the very least you should carry some type of document from the agency for which you work.[sample] If you are working in a foreign country, a letter of introduction from a person in authority will help immeasurably.[sample] Many countries require official permits for various types of field work to be done within their borders.

In many cases, it is impossible to carry-out a successful project without official documents. Take, for example, someone conducting agricultural research in Ghana who plans to analyze in his or her laboratory in the United States, soil samples collected in the field. That person may not have difficulty collecting the samples, if she or he has been approved to do so by the proper authorities in Ghana, but that researcher must have a permit to import those samples into the United States.[sample]

Bottom line; get permission ahead of time, and get it in writing!

Cultural Understanding

By and large, land owners and users are no different than you. Now, there is a sobering thought! Imagine how you would feel if someone from a government agency, another state (say New Hampshire), or a foreign country (e.g., Iraq) knocked on your door and asked if he could carry-out some studies of your land. You would have lots of questions, wouldn't you? You might also be very suspicious.

As a university-educated professional, you are a very unusual person. Less-educated people will at once treat you with respect and suspicion. They will admire what you have accomplished. However, some will feel that you are "book-smart" and ignorant of the "real world" in which they live. They also might feel that you got where you are professionally at the expense of someone else. This is especially true when working in some rural and less-developed areas (the so-called "developing world"), and in low-income neighborhoods or areas. People who think they have something to lose can be very difficult to deal with.

"Honesty," as the old saying goes, "is the best policy." Or, is it? Usually, it is best to explain yourself fully. However, there are those cases where you can say too much. For example, you might be working for a city and looking into the need for sidewalks in a neighborhood that currently doesn't have any. During the course of the fieldwork, which might be done entirely from the street (public land), you will undoubtedly encounter residents who will inquire about your activities. What do you tell them? It might be best if you say that you are investigating pedestrian traffic patterns, looking into the safety of people on foot as automobile traffic increases. While this is technically correct, it is not 100% truthful, but it may make your job easier. If you tell them the pure truth, you might instantly be met with resistence, resentment, and even hosility. Why? Because cities bill residents for the cost of constructing sidewalks on their property (actually the public easement adjacent to the private land). Quite literally, your work will eventually cost your research subjects--who are also your hosts--money.

Working in a foreign country can be doubly difficult, especially in less-developed economies. While citizens of such countries can be friendly, courteous, and helpful, field workers must always remember that what they are doing is viewed with either suspicion or wonderment. For example, many indigenous people think that archaeologists are looking for treasure. Conversely, a farmer in a developing country who is trying to raise enough beans to keep his children from starving has good reason to view a college graduate from the United States mapping caves as a spoiled rich kid. What might seem important to one person can be seen as an extravagence by another.

Different Perspective

There is not one geography, and there are many geographers. As absolute as we might like things to be, they are not. There are also many truths. Anyone who thinks that there is only one way to address any one research topic is fooling him or herself. People look at the world differently. To illustrate, several years ago a group of indigenous people from a remote village in the mountains of a developing country were brought to a major city in the United States to be active participants in a museum exhibit of native life in caves. These people were, to state it simply, out of their element. They were checked into in a very nice hotel and the next morning the maid was stunned at what she found. These people had not used the sink. They had drunk out of the toilet. And, they had defecated in the potted plants. Why? They had no concept of faucets. They came from a place where water was scarce and not to be polluted. And, they got rid of their waste in the only way they could imagine. Were they wrong in what they did? Not in the least bit. Now, if you were to carry-out field work in their village how would you go about it? How, might the locals react to you?

These examples, may seem extreme and unusual, but they are not. Indeed, there are differences among people of one culture that often go unrecognized or unappreciated. One of the most common differences, and one that some people don't like to recognize is gender. We don't, unfortuantely, live in a perfect world. Men and women are often treated differently, especially in various parts of the world. As such, they can encounter different types of personal hardships, even being restricted as to what they can study because of their sex. For example, a women, regardless of how smart, professional, confident, and tough she might be, will likely encounter intimidation and harrassment while trying conducting field work among all-male loggers in the remote Latin American tropics. Similarly, a man will be severely restricted in his attempts to gather information on households and living spaces in the Middle East.

Culture, ethnicity, race, religion, age, and gender all affect the way we look at the world. A youthful, white, Jewish male might well come away from a study of rural lands in the western U.S. with a different interpretation than an elderly, Native American woman. We all walk through different worlds. These differences should always be kept in mind. Indeed, field workers minds must always be open

Hazards and Health

In addition to sometimes being mentally and intellectually difficult, field work can be physically demanding and painful. "Neither rain, nor cold, nor..." Please, pardon the metaphor, but postmen and field workers do, however, share one thing in common; they work in all kinds of weather. Sometimes field work must be carried out in what appear to be the worst conditions. For example, if you are measuring floods you will have to be out in the rain and getting wet.

You will also have to face the threat of injury. Barbed wire fences, thorny brush, rugged terrain, the sun, insects, animals-especially dogs--all pose a threat. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, heat exhaustion, and bites are all part of the job. Expect to be injured and be prepared for just such occasions. Carry a first aid kit, or have one close at hand. Do not work alone if at all possible.

Getting injured in the field is one thing, getting sick is another. If you are prone to getting sick when you are at home, you'll surely be sick in the field. The food you eat, the water you drink, and the air that you breathe will all be different, and foreign. Minor stomach and intestinal disorders are the most common, and often can be treated with over-the-counter medicines. Be careful, these maladies can become severe and require medical attention. If your work will take you away from home for an extended period be sure to inform your physician. He should be able to make some recommendations. Also find out what kind of medical care is available where you are going.

If you will be in a very remote place, for a very long time (say a year in deepest, darkest Africa) you should have your wisdom teeth pulled and your appendix removed before you leave home. There are some all-too-common health disorders that you just don't want to occur while you're in the wilds.

Field Workers with Special Needs

Field work has traditionally been carried out by able-bodied persons who enjoy the ability to see, walk, and use their hands and arms. Times are changing for the better. What once were seen as limitations or handicaps are now being seen as challenges. The day will come when these challenges will be overcome, but for now we are making headway. For example, field work in urban areas now can be carried out by persons in electric wheel chairs.

Several year ago Reginald Golledge, a prominent geographer became blind. He shifted the focus of his research to the geography of disability. GPS was in its infancy, and Professor Golledge pioneered its applicability to help vision-impaired people to navigate. Today we even have tactile maps to assist field workers.