Points to Note during Fieldwork

Teachers/Instructors should study the “School Guidelines – for planning and implementing outdoor/ fieldwork activities at Country Parks” issued by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department before conducting fieldwork in country parks or special areas. The School Guidelines, which provide detailed information on countryside code, mobile coverage, preparation, safety concerns and waste reduction, are

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available on the webpage below:

https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_gac/cou_wh a_sch_sat.html

Teachers/Instructors should exercise close supervision to ensure that participants act responsibly and behave properly.

On-site supervision of participants is required at all times. Headcounts should be done before and after the field trip, and when participants proceed from one site to another.

Participants should be told who keeps the first aid kit or where it is kept.

Before participants proceed to work in groups, teachers/instructors should remind them not to wander off or climb alone.

Flash floods may occur during and after heavy rains. Participants should leave the stream course as soon as the rain pours down, and avoid working in the stream after a heavy rain. A sudden rise of the water level or an increase in the turbulence and turbidity of the flow may be the sign of an approaching flood. When this happens, all participants should stay away from the stream course immediately.

If a storm is imminent, participants should take shelter quickly and wait till the situation improves.

If there is a thunderstorm during fieldwork, keep away from ridges, summits and other high points, and avoid caves and cracks. Sit on insulating clothing if possible, and do not stay under trees or in small hollows. Keep a distance from walls and spires.

Light a fire only at designated campsites or barbeque sites. Put out the fire completely before leaving so that the risk of a hill fire is unlikely.

For fieldwork to be conducted in a polluted area, the following effective precautions should be taken:

a) Food and drinks, if needed, should be consumed before fieldwork.

b) Participants with unhealed wounds should be assigned the duty of recording data.

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c) Latex gloves should be worn when collecting specimens or taking measurements.

d) Wellingtons should be worn for making way in polluted water.

e) Cuts and grazes should be covered with waterproof dressings or bandages.

f) Hands should be washed upon leaving the site.

Fieldwork groups should keep to the existing footpaths and avoid making new shortcuts, as snakes and venomous insects might be hiding in bushes and grasses. Moreover, new paths formed by treading is not safe because the soil may be loose.

Collection of animal and plant specimens should be avoided to reduce disturbance or harm to the wildlife and vegetation. Participants should be reminded that it is forbidden to collect specimens of protected or endangered species.

Safety precautions for fieldwork on biological study a) Terrestrial habitats

i. Wear long-sleeved shirts and jeans or long pants to avoid the prick of thorny plants and the bite of mosquitos, ticks and mites that transmit infectious diseases.

ii. Keep to unobscured footpaths where possible.

iii. Study the surrounding area carefully before going into bushy areas to observe or collect specimens.

iv. Examine rocks or logs before sitting on them. Do not lift stones or other objects by hands; always use a stick to turn them over first. Do not reach into holes in rocks or trees with bare hands.

v. Quite a number of wild plants are poisonous.

Teachers/Instructors should warn participants against tasting fruits, seeds or leaves of wild plants, or touching plants that may cause allergy or dermatitis. Examples are Rhus chinensis (sumac), Rhus hypoleuca (sumac), Rhus succedanea (wax tree) and Euphorbia antiquorum (fleshy spurge).

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vi. When collecting specimens, take note of the following information and safety considerations:

• Advance applications should be made in writing to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for permission to collect animal and plant specimens, dig out soil from the ground/upset the terrain or catch wild animals with tools or containers in country parks and special areas.

Only after a permit has been granted by the Department can the aforementioned fieldwork activities be conducted.

• Extreme care should be taken to prevent pricks when collecting specimens of spiky animals or thorny plants. Gloves should be worn during collection.

• Avoid collecting plants known to contain poisonous or irritating sap.

• Plants and seeds to be collected should be free from pests or diseases to minimise the chance of infecting other specimens.

• Participants should be warned against touching, feeding, disturbing or agitating wild animals since quite a number of them are venomous creatures or carriers of fatal diseases.

• Dead vertebrates can be a source of infectious disease and therefore should not be collected as specimens or closely examined.

• Extreme care should be taken to prevent bites from organisms hidden in the soil when doing soil experiments.

b) Shore habitats

i. All participants should wear shoes or boots with rugged soles.

ii. A throw line must be carried along at all times.

iii. Teachers/Instructors should always bear in mind the time

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of high and low tides, and make sure that all have returned to the land before high tide.

iv. Avoid working on exposed shores with strong waves.

Participants should be reminded not to attempt rock climbing, caving, swimming or diving.

v. When carrying out fieldwork on rocky shores, participants should always watch out for angular or lichen-covered slippery rocks, and secure their footing before taking a new step. They should also be reminded of the danger of jumping between boulders.

vi. When carrying out fieldwork among mangroves and on sandy shores, participants should test their footing in loose wet soil and ensure sufficient support before landing.

c) Freshwater habitats

i. All participants should wear shoes or boots with rugged soles.

ii. A throw line must be carried along at all times.

iii. Except for very shallow ponds and gullies, fieldwork in freshwater habitats involves risks because water currents, submerged objects and silts can be sources of hazards.

iv. Participants should only work in streams with a solid bed and a depth below knee level.

v. Be alert when stepping into streams. Always beware of potholes and underwater obstacles.

Safety precautions for fieldwork on geographical study

a) Participants should wear long-sleeved shirts and jeans or long pants to avoid the prick of thorny plants.

b) When working in shore areas, all participants should wear shoes or boots with rugged soles.

c) A throw line must be carried along at all times when working in water.

d) Keep to footpaths as far as possible. If it is necessary to cross

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a river, use a bridge. Otherwise cross at a point where the river divides into tributaries or where water is slow and shallow e) Do not go into a river or lake unless the bottom is visible and the

water is no more than knee-deep.

f) Extreme care should be taken when stepping into streams.

Always beware of potholes and underwater obstacles.

g) A sudden rise of the water level or an increase in the turbulence and turbidity of the flow may be the sign of an approaching flood. When this happens, all participants should stay away from the stream course immediately.

h) When carrying out fieldwork on rocky shores, participants should always watch out for angular or lichen-covered slippery rocks, and secure their footing before taking a new step. They should also be reminded of the danger of jumping between boulders.

i) Study the surrounding area carefully before going into bushy areas to observe or collect specimens.

j) Quite a number of wild plants are poisonous.

Teachers/Instructors should warn participants against tasting fruits, seeds or leaves of wild plants, or touching plants that may cause allergy or dermatitis. Examples are Rhus chinensis (sumac), Rhus hypoleuca (sumac), Rhus succedanea (wax tree) and Euphorbia antiquorum (fleshy spurge).

k) Participants should be warned against touching, feeding, disturbing or agitating wild animals since quite a number of them are venomous creatures or carriers of fatal diseases.

l) Extreme care should be taken to prevent bites from organisms hidden in the soil when doing soil experiments.

III. Measures for Emergencies

(Please refer to Chapter Two.)

Guidelines on Outdoor Activities August 2020

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