Mounted search and rescue

["Kevin Stokes" <klstokes@qwest.net>]

 I live within commuting distance of a major metropolitan area 
(Minneapolis/St. Paul).  My county is rural agricultural with an 
increasing residential population.  I just passed a corn field that just 
started sprouting houses.  One of the farmers that I buy hay from sold 
one of his fields - its becoming an industrial park.  You'd be hard 
pressed to call anything  here "wilderness".
 In Terry's neck of the woods,  in the Red River Valley, its heavily 
agriculture,  very open, with a couple major national wildlife refuges.  
Terry knows my veiw is from going to college up there 20 a bunch years ago.
Sounds like Jorene and Una live in an area with some heavy duty 
wilderness.  And yet we should be all covered by the same Msar National 
Standards.  Standards which would be more than adequate for my unit 
would leave wilderness searchers dangerously underprepared.  And  
wilderness quality standards would saddle my unit with useless and even 
silly requirements. 
 Terry probably mentioned that in Minnesota the county sheriffs are 
required by law to search for lost or missing persons within their 
county.  That is why all mounted posses/patrols are attached to the 
sheriff's office.  We can only be activated by out sheriff's office 
(which I dicsovered really pisses off the FBI).  Any national standard 
must conform to the sheriff's office policy or we can't use it.
 And to compound problems, it must be appliciable to all of us or it 
wouldn't be a national standard.
 My only thought on this would to be a multi layered standard - a basic 
set that would apply to all units, and a more advanced set for those who 
do more intensive searches.  This sounds like an approach that would be 
tough to work also.
 I'm glad I'm not on the Standards Committee - my head hurts just 
thinking this much.
Kevin