Peter Baldwin, president of Haleakala Ranch, was reluctant to discuss the case because it is still possible the ranch will file a complaint against Engman. They knew the police had been called, and they left the scene. Trespassing has always been a problem for Haleakala Ranch, but in recent years it has been getting worse, he said, and the ranch is cracking down. About five years ago, the ranch hired a security officer who handles most cases. Baldwin estimated that the ranch apprehends about two trespassers a week probably just a fraction of those who illegally enter the 30,000-acre cattle spread.
People enter ranch property deliberately and unwittingly, for many different reasons.
Engman said she hiked five minutes from Haleakala Highway and crossed a barbed wire cattle fence to reach the meadow, which has long been one of her favorite spots for its untended fruit trees and wild mulberry bush. She said that no signs were posted warning against entering the pasture, and that she's never seen anyone there before. To be honest, I didn't think about it because I've been going there for so many years.