LightHawk Conservation Flying

#TBT 🌊 Back in 2016, LightHawk joined San Francisco Baykeeper & local partners to capture aerial imagery of Bay Area King Tides—offering a glimpse of how sea level rise can reshape coastlines.

Nearly a decade later, that perspective continues to inform climate resilience work across the region. 💙

“Thank you for this opportunity! It was very useful for me to be at this altitude in order to truly understand the landscape context and scale of our conservation project.”
— Abby King, The Nature Conservancy–Maine

💙 Grateful to Volunteer Pilot Scott Cianchette for making this Maine view possible.

America’s public lands are under growing pressure from development, extraction & the rollback of protections.

LightHawk takes to the air with partners to reveal these threats & inspire action.

From above, it’s clear: our public lands connect us all. 🌎 #PublicLands #WildPlaces

Mexican Wolf Recovery Takes Flight! 🛩️
Our Wolf Pack volunteer pilots transported pups from breeding centers to wild dens in NM—boosting genetic diversity & giving them a new start in the wild.

LightHawk is proud to support one of North America’s most inspiring wildlife recovery stories. 💙

There’s something peaceful about watching rivers wind and fields stretch below. 🌾

A view that reminds us why protecting these landscapes matters. 💙
Support conservation from above: https://loom.ly/e0hj5S8

Lake Champlain connects communities across VT, NY, & QC—but faces challenges from runoff & climate change.

LightHawk flew to capture aerial imagery, helping conservationists monitor water quality. Sometimes the best way to protect water is to see it from the air. 💙
#LightHawk #LakeChamplain

#PilotViewFriday
We’re spotlighting Archer Olmer, one of our newest volunteer pilots!

Archer joined LightHawk earlier this year and has already signed up for several conservation missions across the Pacific Northwest.

Welcome aboard, Archer—thanks for helping conservation take flight! 💙

#TBT A 2022 flight provided Los Padres ForestWatch the chance to gather photos along the Gaviota Coast. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors was considering a proposal to send up to 70 oil tanker trucks per day through the Los Padres National Forest along California's Central Coast.

Introducing Above and Beyond — our new blog where our stories take flight!

Our first post, “Wilderness, Wings, and Words,” by volunteer contributor Kristin Smith, explores how a love of nature & aviation led her to LightHawk.

📖 Read now: https://loom.ly/NaBDC8E
#AboveAndBeyond

Glaciers on Colorado’s Front Range are changing—fast.

LightHawk teamed up with a @ColoradoStateU researcher to fly over 12 glaciers from Rocky Mountain NP to the Indian Peaks, capturing images to track climate-driven change.

Understanding starts with seeing. ❄️
#LightHawk #ConservationInFlight

Did you catch the September Conservation FLYer? ✈️
It features first-time LightHawk pilot Bronson Daughtry’s flight over iconic Wyoming landscapes—and a gorgeous photo from Chris Boyer, our Northern Region Program Manager.

👉 Read the latest issue: https://loom.ly/A1eKhiU

#LightHawk #FlyingForGood

A view from above can turn awareness into action.

In August, LightHawk flew to document Nevada’s remaining wild landscapes—capturing both their beauty and the pressures they face.

The imagery is helping partners advocate for permanent protection through a short film for lawmakers and the public.

It’s #WorldWildlifeDay! 🌍🦅
From transporting endangered species to flying aerial surveys, LightHawk uses the power of flight to protect wildlife & the places they depend on.

Conservation takes perspective—& that’s why we fly. 🛩️
#LightHawk #FlyingForGood #ConservationInFlight

Today we honor the life of Dr. Jane Goodall. Her courage, vision, and unwavering hope shaped the way we see our world. LightHawk flies in service of the same belief she carried so gracefully — that every action for wildlife and conservation matters.
#JaneGoodall #ConservationHero #ReasonforHope

The Colorado River Delta is one of North America’s most important restoration stories & monitoring progress is still critical today.

#TBT to 2020: we partnered with @SonoranInstitute to fly over restoration sites to track recovery. The work continues & so does the need for aerial perspective. 💙

Another week, another chance to fly for conservation.

Missions are on the board, pilots are ready, and LightHawk is bringing the aerial perspective to challenges that matter.

Be part of the impact: lighthawk.org/donate!

Our coastlines face growing challenges—from erosion and flooding to habitat loss and development pressures.

LightHawk provides the aerial view that reveals patterns you can’t see from the ground—insights that guide on-the-ground solutions.
#LightHawk #CoatalConservation #FlyingForGood

#PilotViewFriday: Celebrating David Riffle!

Flying with #LightHawk since 2018, David has been a vital part of our conservation flying family in Washington.

👏 Thank you, David—and to all our volunteer pilots—for giving conservation wings!

#VolunteerPilot #FlingForGood

#TBT: In 2021, LightHawk and American Rivers flew the Yampa—for a film telling the story of one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Colorado Basin.

Today, it’s still at the heart of the fight for resilient rivers in the West.

📸 David Cole

#FlyingForGood #ColoradoRiverBasin

#PartnersAreSaying

“I had not realized before the flight the sheer size and impact of the Everglades to our local economy and well being.”
– Betty De Aragon, Brickell Magazine

LightHawk flights don’t just show the view—they reveal the significance.

#Everglades #FlyingForGood

We took flight with the Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter to document wildlife corridors in AZ where new wall construction is planned.

From above, the Santa Cruz River and Coronado National Memorial tell a story of habitat at risk & images will help inform the public & decision-makers.

#LightHawk

A busy season is ahead for endangered species recovery!

Our volunteer pilots are crossing the nation to transport black-footed ferrets, whooping cranes, Mexican wolves, and California condors—playing a vital role in their reintroduction and recovery efforts.

#LightHawk #ConservationInFlight

National Parks are where many of us first connect with wild places. For conservationists, they’re living labs—where water, wildlife, & forest health can be studied on a grand scale.

LightHawk reveals hidden connections—turning inspiration into action.

📸 JMedley, TTalbot, MPittman, BFarnsworth

For the first time in 50 years, the Connecticut River impoundment above Turners Falls was drained this summer.

We flew with Connecticut River Conservancy to capture the rare moment from the air—revealing changes to channels & buffers hidden from the ground.

That’s the aerial perspective in action.

It’s #PilotViewFriday! 🎉
Today we celebrate Thomas AmRhein, a LightHawk volunteer pilot since 2018. Thomas has been a steady force for conservation flying in CA. We’re grateful for his dedication!

👏 Here’s to Thomas & all our amazing pilots who make conservation take flight!
#AviationForGood

#TBT: In 2022, LightHawk partnered with photographer Jon Waterman to capture aerial images for the book Atlas of American Wilds (National Geographic, 2024)—a celebration of 60 years of the Wilderness Act.

From the air, wilderness speaks for itself.

#LightHawk #ProtectWhatMatters #Wilderness

A view from the air can change everything. As Joseph Quiroz, WY Outdoor Council, shared:

“Even after 20 years of land travel in the Red Desert, seeing it from the air broadened my appreciation & put me in a better position to advocate for its conservation.
#AerialPerspective #FlyingForGood

From the ground, sand mining looks small. From the air, the scale is undeniable.

Thanks to pilot Bob Thomas, a grad student a grad student captured images of the Illinois River from above to fuel research on extractive land use & guide decisions that shape the future of our rivers & communities.

160 flights. 500 hours in the air. And it’s only September.

Every LightHawk mission adds perspective—and impact—to conservation projects across the country. Can’t wait to see where the rest of 2025 takes us.

#LightHawk #ConservationInFlight #AerialPerspective #FlyingForGood #GeneralAviation

Kick back & enjoy the view this #ScenicSunday! 🌎
Nothing beats seeing the world from above. The hustle & bustle fades. What’s left is a reminder of just how beautiful our planet is & why protecting it matters.

Thanks for being on this journey. 💙
📸 JPriscu, TPeterson, BDrummond, JFaller-Menéndez