While it is an extremely rare occurrence, murder is one of the most common causes of deaths of wildlife workers and assaults against government employees are an often under-reported problem. According to the Tuscon Sun, on August 23rd a group of bat biologists were confronted by armed militia members while counting bats at a site near the Arizona Border.
It is probably worth doing to always let law enforcement agencies know of your presence and intentions when working on any public lands and to check with them about any recent incidents that could prove a danger to you and your folks. For example, is the area known for sites where marijuana is grown? Are people cooking meth in caves or at campgrounds that you may be working around.
When working alone set up some sort of check-in system with your agency, friends, or family to let them know where you are, what you are doing, and when you expect to return. And be sure that your family knows the right people to contact if you are overdue.
Some agencies may allow firearms to be carried by wildlife biologists that are also not certified law enforcement officers. Depending on your situation, this may be something worth considering.
Sure, many of us work alone in remote areas on a regular basis and setting up and organizing such a system can be somewhat burdensome, but it only takes one incident to make it all worthwhile. Hopefully, all public agencies keep close track of their employees, but it appears to me that as cell phones are taking over from the radio as the main source of communications, wildlife biologists aren’t as likely to be keeping in contact with the dispatchers as well as they did in the past. Shouldn’t it be a matter of critical priority for public agencies to keep track of their biologists as they do others in the agency?