by Will Worthington (APA Member)
As a follow up to last month’s article regarding LightHawk Conservation Flying, Will Worthington put together some information with examples of the projects LightHawk volunteers have supported here in Arizona.
Border Wall Construction
Plans are quickly moving forward to build 27 miles of new border wall in the San Rafael Valley in Southern Arizona. The San Rafael Valley is an essential corridor where wildlife species frequently move between the U.S. and Mexico. In the heart of this peaceful valley, Arizona’s most spectacular remaining grassland spreads out between the Patagonia and Huachuca mountains. Last month the US government waived environmental laws to rush through the project and awarded a contract to resume construction, however the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is holding a public comment period — a last chance to weigh in on plans for a wall with 30-foot-high steel bollards. Environmental interest organizations are advocating the inclusion of innovative methods in the wall, so the wildlife corridors are preserved. LightHawk volunteer pilots Chuck Schroll and Will Worthington (both APA members) have flown several flights along the proposed construction route to allow stakeholders to get a bird’s eye view of the proposed route.
Gila River Valley Waffle Gardens
Most Arizonans are unaware of a unique prehistoric site called the “Waffle Gardens” in the Gila River Valley. The Archeology Southwest magazine editor requested a LightHawk flight in southern AZ too document and photograph this ~1000-year-old garden site in Safford area - visible almost exclusively from an aerial perspective. Photographs will be used in a future issue of Archaeology Southwest Magazine and will be provided to Safford BLM for conservation, documentation, and monitoring purposes. LightHawk volunteer pilot Will Worthington flew this mission to assist Archaeology Southwest.
Colorado River
The Colorado River presents a continuous series of environmental challenges from the headwaters in northern Colorado to the delta at the Sea of Cortez, and LightHawk has assisted with dozens of flights for decades, helping the many stakeholders visualize and explain the issues. LightHawk volunteer pilot Will Worthington flew journalist Pete McBride as he captured this dramatic view of the Grand Canyon.
LightHawk has been a key player with many conservation partners in presenting the Colorado River delta issues to audiences throughout the world. Over the course of the past two decades, LightHawk passengers have included scientists, journalists, television crews, politicians, academicians, and activists as they seek to conserve and improve the conditions in this part of the world through the remarkable perspective of flight.
These programs are a small sample of recent LightHawk missions. If your log book shows the 1000 hours PIC time required to become a volunteer pilot and if you enjoy flying with a purpose, visit www.lighthawk.org and consider joining their corps of dedicated pilots.