Category: Content
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Pilot View: Flying to Document Ancient Gardens in Arizona
July 2025 Along the Gila River in Arizona exist ancient gardens dating back 1,000 to 1,200 years. From the ground, you may never know the small dirt berms shaping the rolling terrain were once walls dividing sections of these gardens. But from the air, the bigger picture comes into view, you can clearly see the…
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On The Wing News – Spring 2025
The Power of Perspective At LightHawk, we believe in the power of aviation to advance conservation. Seeing the land from above gives us perspective on what’s happening, what’s at risk, and where we can make the greatest impact. That view helps our partners work smarter, move faster, and make more informed decisions for the places…
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Pilot View: Searching for Yosemite’s Elusive Fishers
TThe search for missing fisher M19 took volunteer pilot Mark Dedon and passenger Joe Medley over Yosemite National Park, with Half Dome rising prominently in the foreground. Photo by Joe Medley. Yosemite’s towering forests are home to one of California’s most elusive carnivores: the Pacific fisher. Once on the brink of disappearance in the Sierra…
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Tracking Yosemite’s Elusive Fishers from the Air
Flying over Yosemite National Park conducting aerial telemetry with park staff to locate a missing endangered fisher. Photo by Joe Medley. When a young fisher known as M19 was released back into Yosemite National Park last year after recovering from injury, biologists outfitted him with a small tracking collar to monitor his movements and survival…
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Pilot View: Searching Frozen Lakes for Stranded Loons
An early, rapid freeze on Lake Winnipesaukee raised concerns that loons could become trapped by ice before migrating south. A LightHawk survey flight found no stranded birds, a welcome sign that the loons had already moved on to warmer waters. Photo by Harry Vogel. The Issue Loons are built for water, not land. Their legs…