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Posted By: spsun Lighthawk Volunteer Pilot Program - 03/21/11 04:32 PM
There is nothing like looking down at the world from the seat of an airplane. Suddenly the landscape unfolds before you, unveiling views of areas that you thought you knew well by land, only to discover a new geographical feature just miles away that you had no idea was even there. From a birds eye view you gain a whole new prospective of the area that surrounds you. For scientists, biologists and conservationists who are engaged in learning about and protecting specific areas, or the flora and fauna that subside there, an aerial survey can provide invaluable information. Most non-profit conservation organizations operate on limited funding and hiring such a service can be cost prohibitive and often such a service is not even available to them. This is where LightHawk, a volunteer-based environmental aviation organization based in the United States comes into play. For a few conservation- based non-governmental organizations (NGO's) in Belize, their dream of observing their areas of interest from the sky were realized this last week thanks to LightHawk. With volunteer LightHawk pilot David Cole at the helm, vital aerial surveys were conducted throughout Belize, from the southern Toledo district of Belize to Ambergris Caye and areas in-between.
Two of the conservation based NGO's who benefited from this opportunity were the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), and the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES). continued The San Pedro Sun
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