50 in 50 Challenge

We're thrilled to announce LightHawk's inaugural 50 in 50 Challenge, taking place from June 15 to August 3, 2024.

This groundbreaking initiative will see us conduct 50 conservation flights in 50 days, covering diverse ecosystems and addressing urgent conservation issues across the country.

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Mission of the Month: Aerial Perspective Provides Insight on Florida Bay Region

LightHawk staff were contacted in early this year by Florida International University researchers looking to better understand the larger Florida Bay region. Over the past century, Florida Bay has experienced a number of disturbances that have significantly changed the ecosystem structure. In particular, the loss of seagrass coupled with strong storms has led to a shift from a clear water state to one dominated by sediment plumes and algal blooms.

Photo of the Month

Photo by Jonathan Rodemann

Coastal lakes system in Florida Bay surrounded by dead mangrove ponding. This ponding may introduce nutrients into the lakes system, resulting in algal blooms. This flight collected imagery to relate potential drivers of nutrient influx to algal blooms as well as provided our partner, Florida International University, with much needed context of potential water inputs into the bay. This information will be used in an ongoing study funded by Everglades National Park and South Florida Water Management District to help relate variables within a time series analysis, which in turn will be used to determine the sources of nutrients driving algal blooms.