SouthWings

Wait, is that Emmy award-winning Caitlyn Greene, cinematographer Justin Zweifach, and Mardi Gras masker Walter Sandifer, III? 😲 What are they doing with SouthWings? Well, if you checked out our post yesterday, you'd sure have a hint. 😉

What do you think they were joking about? 🤔

Emmy award-winning Caitlyn Greene and SouthWings have been planning this flight for over a year! Walter Sandifer, III of the Mardi Gras masking tradition, was aboard for the special project!

Lucky for you, VP Eric J. is offering a sneak peek since the project is not yet released. 😉

‘Vanishing Landscapes’ Captures the Loss of our Chesapeake Shores - Cambridge Spy A deer stands in a flooded warehouse, staring at a forest on a television screen, as water rises slowly against second-floor windows.  Nearby, a

#Datacenters are popping up all over SouthWings' region, and we are working hard to support our partners in several states shedding light on these projects.

A new exhibit in Cambridge, MD showcases a photograph taken by Andrew Cohen on a SouthWings flight in 2024.

You can read more of @wesmuller.bsky.social 's reporting on Atalco's facility here: lailluminator.com/tag/red-alert/

Runoff from Atalco alumina refinery into Mississippi River raises environmental concerns A cloudy, rust-colored liquid plume flowed into the Mississippi River last week out of a drainage pipe from the Atlantic Alumina refinery.

We're proud to support the work of Rise St. James, @healthygulf.bsky.social, @lailluminator.com, and all the people who help make it possible to hold toxic polluters accountable!

CAFO Country: Touring NC's hog and poultry operations from the air North Carolina is a national leader with more than 8 million hogs and close to a billion chickens and turkeys in production. Most are raised on an industrial scale, in what are known as "concentrated ...

I have a new series out on WHQR @whqr.bsky.social in Wilmington about industrial animal farming in NC. It's become big business across the state. Today: the view from above, with help from @capefearriverwatch.bsky.social and @southwings.bsky.social Join us for the ride! www.whqr.org/local/2025-0...

Thanks to Southwings (@southwings.bsky.social), EPN, Etsuko Kinefuchi (UNCG), and Dr. Treva Gear (@dogwoodalliance.org) saw Georgia's largest wood pellet plants from above. On the ground, we heard from residents about the health impacts they’re experiencing. Communities are speaking out.

Last week, Volunteer Pilot Woody supported the @dogwoodalliance.org with flights in Georgia to view the wood pellet industy and its impacts on local forests. Thank you to Woody and partners on the ground for advocating for the protection of our Southeastern forests!

📷 provided by Dogwood Alliance

CAFO Country: As hog and poultry operations spread, so do concerns In 2007, North Carolina permanently banned new or expanded hog farms that collect waste in lagoons and spray it on fields as fertilizer. The idea was to shift to cleaner disposal methods at these…

Tune in this week to "CAFO Country" a series on WHQR Public Media by David Boraks. A flight with Volunteer Pilot Rolf Wallin and Cape Fear Riverkeeper, Kemp Burdette informed this important reporting. @capefearriverwatch.bsky.social

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📷 by David Boraks

Lexington Coal to "Show Cause" After Chronic Violations; Citizen Watchdogs Press for Accountability WEST VIRGINIA (WOAY) - Nearly a year after state inspectors cited violations at a former mine dam, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVD

Coal River Mountain Watch works tirelessly to keep up with mountaintop removal coal mining permits, keep the public informed, and hold the WV Department of Environmental Protection accountable.

Comprehensive reporting that includes photos and videos from a recent flight:
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The Okefenokee Swamp is safe for now, but talk of mining near it hasn’t stopped The end of the Twin Pines Minerals project hasn’t silenced talk of mining on the Okefenokee Swamp’s doorstep.

Earlier this year, we celebrated a huge win when the Conservation Fund purchased the land Twin Pines Minerals planned to mine near the #Okefenokee Swamp. However, the threat of mining near the Swamp still lingers.

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Philanthropic Flying Giving Back with General Aviation

Check out this article on #publicbenefitflying in the FAA Safety Briefing. SouthWings offers volunteer opportunities for supporting environmental initiatives throughout the Gulf and Southeastern US & safety is always our #1 priority.
Reach out if you are interested in learning more!

Three men stand in front of a small, low wing plane. Two men are standing on the left, before the tail number. One is standing to the right of the tail number, by the wing. All of them are wearing ball caps, casual shirts, shorts, and casual/tennis shoes. The plane is white with stripes. The top stripe on the body is skinny and red. It terminates in a swoosh halfway through the tail. There is a white space under the red. The gray stripe is in the middle. It is also skinny and extends to the back of the plane. There is another white space under this stripe. The blue stripe is thick and covers the bottom half of the side of the plane, with the tail number in bold, white lettering. The top of the tail of the plane is a bit like a shark fin, but is flat on top. The stripes are also there and collectively cover about a third of the tail. The thick blue stripe is first, then a white space then the gray, then a white space, and then the red, terminating in a swoosh again.

A big thanks to Volunteer Pilot Rick W. for taking Mobile Baykeeper's Executive Director William Strickland and Water Quality Investigator Conrad Horst above the watershed for a bird's eye view! Check them out to learn more and get involved in protecting the Bay! www.mobilebaykeeper.org

@mycologist.bsky.social @billmckibben.bsky.social @climatehuman.bsky.social @cclusa.org @dhlovelife.bsky.social @earthjustice.org @climatecasino.net @xrglobal.bsky.social @hollergospel.bsky.social @fairshake.bsky.social @jhenryfair.com @podcastgreenred.bsky.social & thanks @southwings.bsky.social

A little thought about the folly of man.
Trying to control nature always leads to disaster.
We channel The Mississippi to keep it going past New Orleans.
But the river has decided to change course, as rivers do.
Thanks to @southwings.bsky.social
#mississippi #morgancity #louisiana #flood #river

Chattanooga Times Free Press Chattanooga's only daily newspaper. Complete coverage of breaking news in Chattanooga, Other local, regional and national news. Classifieds and online marketplace.

In June, SouthWings supported Tennesse Heartwood in showing off the clear-cutting in local forests. This news story published this weekend in the Chattanooga Times Free Press is helping spread the word: Conservation Groups challenge clear-cutting of Tenessee forests
Photo gallery:

We are so very proud of one of our very own volunteer pilots for being named "Distinguished Volunteer Pilot" in the Public Benefit Flying Awards presented by NAA and the Air Care Alliance!
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Please join us in congratulating Rolf Wallin!

📷 by J Henry Fair

Reflecting on the first half of 2025, we are so grateful for the positive momentum that our volunteer pilots have helped create in our region alongside our various flight partners.

Read about the 50+ flights we've completed so far this year in our hot-off-the-press Mid Year Report:
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Historic land deal halts mining project next to Okefenokee Swamp The move puts an immediate halt to a project that scientists and environmentalists had feared could irreparably damage North America’s largest blackwater swamp.

🎉 Victory for the Okefenokee Swamp!!🎉

On Friday, June 20th, The Conservation Fund announced they have reached an agreement with Twin Pines to purchase 8,000 acres near the southeastern corner of the Okefenokee.

Since 2019, we have supported this fight with 13 flights!

“Flying with a Purpose” in ABS Magazine — Humphries Aviation Public benefit flying is the focus of ABS Executive Director Beth Barberree’s interview of me in the June 2025 issue of ABS Magazine, the monthly print publication of the American Bonanza Society …

Hear from our inaugual Lonestar Volunteer Pilot Award recipient on why he loves to be a volunteer pilot and one of his most exciting flights (so far)! Thanks for all you do, Scott! buff.ly/csQtHJu #americanbonanzasociety #volunteerpilot #publicbenefitflying #aviationlovers #volunteersmakeadifference

Sound Rivers checks on Blounts Creek mine progress Sound Rivers’ staff took to the air last week to find out whether mining operations have started at Martin Marietta Material’s Vanceboro quarry.

SouthWings flights give our partners a look at projects, often when there is a lack of transparency on proposals that could harm our environment. Read more in Sound Rivers' latest blog:

@risestjames.bsky.social @healthygulf.bsky.social

#CancerAlley is teeming with petrochemical facilities, "plants" have been built upon the plantation system. Several of our partners are fighting to protect their families and neighbors, as well as the graves of their ancestors who were enslaved on these plantations.

As Edda Fields-Black and I prepare for the opening of "Picturing Freedom: Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid" at the Gibbes Museum in Charleston on May 23, I'll be sharing a selection of featured images.
Many thanks to @southwings.bsky.social for flight support!

Resistance to xAI's pollution builds in South Memphis Hundreds of people are speaking out against xAI’s South Memphis data center, urging local leaders to deny the company’s request for an air permit.   xAI — a company founded by Elon Musk —opened a…

We are proud to support @selc.bsky.social in their fight for South Memphis communities, and we are grateful to our volunteer pilots who can help provide transparency on industrial projects.

Read more:
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Aviation nonprofit gives environmental advocates a bird’s eye view of local polluters Dynamic Aviation’s small airstrip was abuzz with the sound of propeller engines as two visiting planes prepared for some special flights on Tuesday afternoon.

Great time this week at the Choose Clean Water Conference in Harrisonburg, VA!

It was inspiring to learn about initiatives in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

We are grateful to our volunteer pilots who provided a field trip for some of the conference attendees!

'A living laboratory': An accidental delta taught Louisiana scientists how to rebuild wetlands • Louisiana Illuminator Something hopeful is happening where the Atchafalaya River meets the Gulf. A flow of sediment from a decades-old river diversion has accidentally given birth to new wetlands.

And now for some hopeful news! Thanks to VP Clinton Jones for helping make this Louisiana Illuminator coverage possible!

05 16 2025 Garden Island Bay Main Pass EarthJustice flight 3323 all photos by Healthy Gulf c/or Southwings.org

Last Friday, Volunteer Pilot Clinton Jones flew representatives of @earthjustice.org and @healthygulf.bsky.social above the Garden Island Bay leak and other significant sites.

You can view Healthy Gulf's flight pictures here:

$2 billion approved for Louisiana coastal work, despite paused major project • Louisiana Illuminator The Louisiana Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority voted Wednesday to fully fund its nearly $2 billion spending plan for next fiscal year, despite more than a quarter of that money being tied…

We'd like to offer a welcome to new Volunteer Pilot Clinton Jones! Clint has hit the ground, or the skies, running and has already flights to support critical coastal reporting and education, including for the Garden Island Bay leak off the coast of Louisiana. Thanks, Clint!

"We don't want money in exchange for our lungs or in exchange for our lives. We want clean air. We want clean water, clean soil. Just like everybody else."
- KeShaun Pearson

Honored to partner with Southern Environmental Law Center protecting Memphis. Thanks NBC News for coverage!

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