Five awards recognize exceptional service to conservation through aviation
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo., October 24, 2026 – LightHawk has announced its 2026 Volunteer Pilot Award honorees, recognizing five volunteers whose dedication and generosity help put conservation missions within reach across the country. LightHawk volunteer pilots donate their time, expertise, aircraft and fuel to transport endangered wildlife, help researchers and journalists document changing conditions, and bring conservation partners above landscapes they are working to protect. This year’s honorees demonstrate the skill, flexibility and sustained commitment that make those missions possible.
Jamie Gamble | President’s Award
Since 2010, Gamble has flown conservation missions across New England, the Mid-Atlantic and as far west as Wisconsin. He has helped partners assess forest habitat in Vermont, document algal blooms on Lake Champlain and work toward protecting 78,000 acres in northwestern Maine. His commitment extends beyond the cockpit: through the Granby Land Trust, he has also helped permanently protect land in a developing part of Connecticut.
Alan Kinback | Spirit of LightHawk Award
A LightHawk volunteer since 2007, Kinback has become an anchor for conservation missions in South Florida, flying for nearly every major LightHawk partner in the region. His missions have helped partners document algal blooms on Lake Okeechobee, development pressure on Florida panther habitat, and changes to coral habitat and coastlines affected by sea level rise. For nearly two decades, he has brought his aviation expertise and passion for conservation to this shared effort.
Lane Gormley | Rockwell Award
Since joining LightHawk in 2015, Gormley has become one of its most active and reliable volunteer pilots in the Pacific Northwest. Whether committing to a single mission or a summer-long series, he adjusts his schedule to meet partners’ timelines and goes out of his way to get passengers to project sites. He also makes time for LightHawk pilot gatherings, even far from home.
“He is simply a delight to work with on any LightHawk mission!” said Western Program Manager Betsy Daub.
Kenneth and Gabrielle Adelman | Carpenter Award
Kenneth and Gabrielle Adelman receive the Carpenter Award, recognizing the most volunteer flight hours donated in a pilot’s own aircraft.
Flying as a duo, the Adelmans donated 45.6 flight hours to LightHawk this year. Many of those hours were in their Cessna Citation CJ2, transporting wolf pups and black-footed ferrets as part of endangered species recovery efforts. By shortening travel time, they helped these vulnerable animals reach their destinations with less stress than a long journey by ground.
Their generosity with their time, aircraft and expertise makes them a valued and dependable part of LightHawk’s wildlife conservation work.
Eric Berman | Rookie of the Year
Since joining LightHawk’s volunteer pilot corps in 2025, Berman has flown 13 missions and offered his time for five more. In summer 2026, he was one of three pilots who committed to a series of flights for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, taking on the sustained responsibility of a recurring conservation project. In his first year, he has already become a dependable member of the LightHawk team.
About LightHawk
LightHawk is a nonprofit conservation organization that puts aviation to work across North America. Working alongside conservation organizations, scientists, journalists, Tribes and agencies, LightHawk plans and coordinates missions that provide access, aerial perspective and timely wildlife transport. Its volunteer pilots donate their expertise, time, aircraft and fuel to protect lands, water, and wildlife.
To support this work, make a donation or learn more about LightHawk, visit www.lighthawk.org.