Sometimes it is better to use your head. Bob Flores had to vouch for my ID in Phoenix when we left for a park (without my ID, it was in the other clothes at the motel room) next to a water treatment facility and I was caught with binoculars and camera looking through the fence (at birds.) The security guy questioned me, then followed protocol at the time and called the police. I had even let him look at some bird photos on my digital camera. When he arrived the officer yelled at him (the security guy, not Bob) more than me for the alarming behavior. That was February 2002 so not that long after 9-11.

Well, last summer I should have known better when I was back in AZ. I was at Buenos Aires NWR with my daughter, "leaving the scene" after several hours of toad surveys following some pretty heavy thundershowers. It was 2 AM when we left, and the refuge is right next to the Mexican border. No, our night driving looking for snakes on the way back did not turn into a chase, although when the headlights came up fairly close behind I assumed it was one of the other survey crews heading back to Tucson also. After 5 miles of riding my tail the Border Patrol finally turned his lights on. Sorry, no drugs or illegal aliens in the trunk. Strange though as we remembered passing several men walking along the highway that did not seem to draw any attention. When I tried to go into Fort Huchuca that weekend I realized that my driver's license was sitting on somebody's desk at the USFS office in Tucson (which has security guards at the entrance), so we didn't do any more night driving for snakes before returning to Tucson.

Randy Hill
Othello