{"id":8520,"date":"2015-04-16T21:38:52","date_gmt":"2015-04-16T21:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/?p=8520"},"modified":"2019-06-22T00:09:28","modified_gmt":"2019-06-22T00:09:28","slug":"vuela-alto-con-nosotros-para-una-vista-a-vuelo-de-pajaro-de-la-peninsula-de-yucatan-cortesia-de-lighthawk-org","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/a-birds-eye-view-of-the-yucatan-peninsula-thanks-to-lighthawk-org\/","title":{"rendered":"A hawk’s view of the Yucatan Peninsula, courtesy of Lighthawk.org"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lighthawk_thumbnail\"The sun is just beginning to rise but I feel none of its warmth as I walk towards the vintage Cessna on the wet tarmac of Merida’s airport. I’m about to embark on my first aerial photography mission for Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan<\/a>, a thrilling prospect for sure, but the gloomy weather is taking some joy out of the idea of going airborne in a single engine airplane. No one says anything, but I can sense I’m not the only team member wondering if this is really the best day to fly.<\/p>\n

Our unspoken worries notwithstanding, it takes Captain Lawrence “Bud” Sittig one long stare at the horizon to forecast our immediate future. “I can see a window there<\/em>“, he says with a confident smile after detecting a small parting of clouds to the north. “We’ll be all right, but first we need to take the door off this plane<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

Captain Bud, as he insists to be called, is a volunteer pilot with Lighthawk<\/strong><\/a>, an organization that donates flight time for NGOs committed to conservation. Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan<\/strong> has benefited from this cooperation for several years and now it is my privilege to have been asked to participate in two flights. Our mission will be to photograph natural conditions in forested areas as well as human activities related to agriculture and cattle ranching in the state of Yucatan. We’re also tasked to photograph any forest fires we may encounter and, with any luck, once we reach the sea we’ll be able to document the presence of whale sharks and ocean turtles in their migratory routes off the coast of Quintana Roo.<\/p>\n

\"Captain<\/a>

Captain Lawrence “Bud” Sittig, a volunteer pilot with Lighthawk.org, is a true veteran of the skies who has flown everything from gliders to fighter jets to big airliners. We couldn’t have asked for a better pilot!. (Photo \u00a9 Iv\u00e1n Gabald\u00f3n).<\/p><\/div>\n

The photographer in me can’t help but wish for a sunnier day. That thought, however, soon becomes irrelevant: we’re now flying and I have the best seat in the plane, secured with a harness next to the open space where the right side door would normally be. I can point my camera out and straight down at the mesmerizing landscape that’s being revealed before my eyes. Any foreboding feelings I might have harbored quickly disappear and within minutes I realize I’ve become instantly hooked on aerial photography.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>

From my privileged point of view I can see how, as has been explained to me by Ornithologist Paul Wood, trees in the Yucatan Peninsula bloom asynchronously, to avoid competing at the same time for the attention of pollinators. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The hand of man is obvious when a landscape is crossed by a perfectly straight line, such as this road. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Human<\/a>

Human activity carves out geometric patches of forest. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A mechanized irrigation system draws a distinct pattern that can only be man made. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A perfect example of man’s non-disruptive alliance with nature: beehives used to harvest organic honey have no negative impact on the environment and benefit the local economy. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Another<\/a>

Another straight line across the landscape, this time drawn by power lines. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"El_Zapotal\"<\/a>

This water feature is a vital component of the natural system in Pronatura’s private reserve “El Zapotal”, so it was important that we document its condition. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A surprising finding: a flower drawn in the landscape! (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

As our flight progresses, and then again on the following day, I make hundreds of images using a trio of lenses: a 300mm, a 50mm and a 10,5mm fisheye lens. It’s our good fortune to come into visual contact with the coveted whale sharks and sea turtles, as well as impressive looking oceanic mantas, so the mission can formally be declared a success.<\/p>\n

On the night of our second day I get together with Captain “Bud” to learn more about his experience as an aviator and the work he does with Lighthawk. The ensuing conversation is worth sharing, along with more images, with all of you here in RIDE INTO BIRDLAND<\/strong>. I give you Captain Lawrence “Bud” Sittig.<\/p>\n

I.G. Hello Captain Bud. Please tell us a little about your experience as a pilot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I\u2019ve been flying for over 50 years. I started flying as a teenager, grew up in General Aviation \u2013that is flying small planes\u2013 and then during my college years got all of my gradings, commercial pilot gradings, and became a flight instructor. Then after college I entered the military, I was trained in the United States Air Force and flew jet fighters, a passion which continued for some 31 years in the International Guard of the United States Air Force. Also I was hired into the airline industry and flew as a Captain with Delta Airlines for about 30 years, retiring just a few years ago. Now I\u2019m back to General Aviation, flying smaller airplanes. I own my own airplane, a Beechcraft Bonanza, but I do a lot of flying with Lighthawk.<\/p>\n

I.G. Before we go into Lighthawk, tell us a bit more about some of the aircraft you\u2019ve flown in your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I started in small airplanes, Cessnas, Beechcrafts and Pipers, and then when I went into the Air Force of course the airplanes became much more sophisticated, high-speed jet fighters, you move from little airplanes to traveling super-sonic, faster than the speed of sound, with very sophisticated weapons delivery systems. And then I joined the airline industry, flying large transport-category airplanes with 290 people on board, a lot of responsibility for those people. I flew those airplanes all over the world for Delta, in Europe and the Middle East, North Africa, all over South America and into the Orient, and of course all over the US to every major city in America. Then I retired from Delta, and I retired from the Air Force -the International Guard- and now I\u2019ve come back to the smaller airplanes that I began in, some fifty years ago. But I\u2019ve always been of the mind that my favourite airplane is the airplane I\u2019m flying that day. It doesn\u2019t matter what it is, I have a passion for flying. I love to fly and I love to share the experience of flight with other people.<\/p>\n

\"Thousands<\/a>

Thousands of open cenotes like this one dot the geography of the Yucatan Peninsula, providing valuable water for nature and humans alike. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"We<\/a>

We were able to document the occurrence of this fire, but not to ascertain its cause. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Slash-and-burn<\/a>

Slash-and-burn farming gives a distinctive color palette to a landscape that used to be green. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"One<\/a>

One of several cattle operations we documented during our flights. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"field_of_dreams\"<\/a>

An unexpected “field of dreams” in a most unlikely location. Play ball! (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. On a personal note, is anyone in your family following in your footsteps?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I have three adult daughters and now I have grandchildren, all of them have great fondness for flying but regrettably none of them had followed as pilots, until now my oldest grandson is beginning glider lessons. You can solo a glider at age 14 and when he turns 16 he\u2019ll be able to fly a powered aircraft. He hopes to solo on his 16th birthday, which is what I did way back in the 1960s, I soloed on my 16th birthday and I\u2019m hoping that my grandson will do the same.<\/p>\n

I.G. You\u2019re also flying one of the few remaining Flying Fortresses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I am. The Flying Fortress, the B-17, is a WWII bomber that was used extensively, flown out of England, in support of the allied initiatives against the Nazis in WWII. There are only eight Flying Fortresses still flying and I fly with the Liberty Foundation, that\u2019s libertyfoundation.org and you can read extensively about the mission. We fly the airplane on a tour program throughout the summer months to major cities all around the US, to help people remember or understand better those that served as crew members aboard the B-17. Many thousands of young combat members in WWII died in the B-17, huge loss of life. When one B-17 went down 10 people lost their lives. So really our mission is to help preserve the memory and it\u2019s dedicated to those warriors that flew and served aboard those airplanes. As I said there are only eight still flying in the world. The airplane that I\u2019m flying is called the Memphis Belle, there\u2019s a famous movie of the Memphis Belle filmed in 1989 that tells the story of that aircraft, which had the first ten-member crew that survived twenty five missions, because the statistical probability of surviving 25 missions was almost zero. For two years nobody survived 25 missions until in 1943 the Memphis Belle crew completed 25 missions, then they took the airplane back to the United States and went on tour. They were celebrities of sorts, war heroes, but they went on tour to help sell savings bonds to support the war effort.<\/p>\n

I.G. You said that you\u2019re favorite plane is the one you\u2019re flying on that day, but there must be a tremendous adjustment\u2026 I mean, just the number of indicators, buttons and controls in the cabin of one of those huge 767s, as compared to the Cessna from the 1970s that we\u2019re flying in today, isn\u2019t that a big adjustment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. Yeah, well\u2026 it\u2019s not a big adjustment, it\u2019s fairly easy to go from one to the other. Of course you train extensively on these complex airplanes, you train to manage the systems, and the weapons systems, and to fly the airplanes with certain skills and techniques, and then you move to another airplane and train well on that one. The human mind is a fascinating thing, it simply adjusts to whatever you\u2019re flying that day. It\u2019s no different than getting on a bicycle, pedaling down the street and feeling very comfortable doing that, and then getting into a Porsche that you drive and you go racing off in, you\u2019re very comfortable in that. I think it\u2019s a good analogy, it works that way, the mind simply adjusts to pedaling and steering a bike, or a motorcycle, or a sophisticated car, and you just adjust to what that is. For many years I was flying the F-16 Viper, a supersonic jet fighter that flies over 1,000 miles an hour, pulls 9Gs and drops sophisticated weapons, and then the next day I would go to my job at Delta Airlines and fly the 767 to Europe, and you just make the adjustment, your training prepares you to fly the jet fighter in the fighter mission, and your training in the airline industry teaches you to fly the transport-category airplane and be very concerned and protective of your passengers in the sophisticated air space that you\u2019re flying into in complex areas of the world and in airports, you just make the adjustment.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The landscape changes drastically as we approach the coastline. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"mangroves<\/a>

Mangroves are a vital piece of nature’s big engine, acting as natural filters and breeding areas. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Nature<\/a>

Nature creates organic “abstract” art as it mixes sea, sand, vegetation and water chemistry where land meets the ocean. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Caribbean Sea in all the splendor of its seductive blue palette. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. You made the rank of General in the US Air Force. Considering that, I was impressed at how relaxed and gentle you were with all of us civilian flyers. It made me wonder what the differences are, coming from a military background and now doing this volunteer work for civilian organizations, how do you adapt to these different situations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I think we are who we are, no matter what role we play in life. In the military one learns to become a leader, and as you increase in rank it\u2019s increasingly important to be good to your people. To be an effective leader you must be sensitive to your people. So when you move from the military, which is very hierarchical and very regimented, nevertheless those basic human skills transfer, and when you get out into the civilian world again it\u2019s all about your relationship with people, communicating effectively with people and understanding where they\u2019re coming from. And it\u2019s very important, with our partners that we fly with in Lighthawk, that we take time to help them understand the experience of flying in a small airplane, because many of our partners have never flown in a small airplane and for many of them it\u2019s a bit threatening, it\u2019s unknown. So it\u2019s important to take some time to make them feel comfortable and hopefully transfer your own comfort level with the experience to them, so they can feel more comfortable. Today for example was unique, we\u2019re flying over jungles, we\u2019re flying on the coastline, and then we\u2019re flying well out over the ocean, so there\u2019s a lot of exposure with a single engine airplane… you know what happens if you have an engine failure over the ocean. So today we took special precautions and more personal flotation devices, so that if you went down on the water you had a flotation device, we have an on-board raft, and you have to take a few minutes to tell people about what to expect. Hopefully that will never happen but we have to be prepared.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A head-to-toe view of Isla Contoy. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"tortuga\"<\/a>

Just below the water’s surface, a Green Sea Turtle! (Chelonia mydas). (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"manta_raya\"<\/a>

The distinct shape of an oceanic manta (Manta birostris). (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. What is Lighthawk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. Lighthawk is a group of volunteer pilots, some 220 volunteer pilots living across the United States, who fly their own airplanes in volunteer service to the goals and objectives of Lighthawk, which is to help conservation and wildlife organizations, primarily NGOs, in support of their conservation initiatives. These volunteer pilots provide their own airplane, pay their own fuel, give of their own professional time and services in support of these initiatives. In addition to these pilots flying their own airplanes, there is a unique program within Lighthawk called the Mesoamerica Program. Lighthawk itself owns two airplanes and from this group of 220 pilots there is a small, select group of aviators who each year, from January through May, will volunteer to fly the Lighthawk airplanes in the Mesoamerica region, supporting the conservation and wildlife initiatives going on throughout the region, primarily Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Mexico in the Yucatan and in Baja.<\/p>\n

I.G. Why Mesoamerica, why was it defined as being so important for Lighthawk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I think the initial founders of Lighthawk saw a lot of opportunity here, and then they saw a lot of need, whether it\u2019s deforestation issues, wildlife conservation and preservation, mangrove preservation along the coastlines, they just saw a need and said \u201cthis is a worthy outreach that Lighthawk can contribute to and we need to do it<\/em>\u201d. And it\u2019s growing every year, as I said we spent five months from January to May with one airplane based here in Mesoamerica in the countries that I mentioned earlier. Different pilots come in for usually a two week period, crew the airplane and work with the partners, then another pilot comes in, gets a hand-off, they\u2019re over-left for a couple of days, do another hand-off, and so it goes over the course of about a five month period. I’m here at the end of May finishing up the project and Monday when I finish I’ll fly the airplane some 15 to 20 hours back to Tucson, Arizona, where it\u2019s based for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The presence of “swim-with-whale-sharks” powerboats confirms we’re getting closer to these gentle giants of the sea. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Finally,<\/a>

Finally, one of several Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) spotted along their migratory route. Also seen swimming along with the shark, a cobia (Rachycentron canadum). (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. In terms of cooperation between Lighthawk and these NGOs that you support with your flights, how can these organizations best take advantage of what you\u2019re giving them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. A partner will come to Lighthawk with a proposal: we would like to use the Lighthawk services for our research, our studies, or our observations of our mission as an NGO. Then Lighthawk makes a judgement on whether this is a worthy program. The better the partner can describe, explain and articulate its goals and its mission, the more likely they are to be supported by Lighthaw. We have many, many requests, so it\u2019s our goal to choose the NGO partners that we feel are very well prepared and have clearly defined their mission, so that when we give them 4 or maybe 6 hours of free flying they get the most productive results from that experience. If they can articulate their mission clearly and help us, particularly the pilot, so we can understand what they wish to achieve, the better outcome they\u2019ll have. So it\u2019s really all about how they outline the proposal to Lighthawk.<\/p>\n

I.G. Does Lighthawk actually engage in fund raising to run the operation? You mentioned that the pilots pitch in for fuel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. The Lighthawk budget is about 1.2 million dollars a year. The vast majority of that comes from individual contributions, which tends to be true of most non profits. Pilots contribute their time and they buy their own fuel, although when we come to Mesoamerica the pilot does not pay for fuel, that is a totally dedicated project by Lighthawk, the organization raises funds through the year, part of that 1.2 million, to support the Mesoamerica program. It\u2019s a tremendous outreach that Lighthawk is doing for Mesoamerica.<\/p>\n

\"As<\/a>

As we follow the coastline the landscape continues to awe us with its changing features. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"No<\/a>

No number of words would suffice in an attempt to describe this view. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"No,<\/a>

No, it’s not some distant world in the confines of outer space. It’s Planet Earth. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The coastal town of Chiquil\u00e1, Quintana Roo. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. What would be some memorable landscapes that you\u2019ve seen flying in the area?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. Among the most memorable, two in particular. One is the volcanic range that stretches west-south and west of Guatemala City, west all the way to the Mexico border. We were flying in the high country and those volcanic peaks, active volcanoes, rise to 18,000 feet above sea level. We were flying in our Cessna 206 at an altitude of about 12,000 feet, which is about as high as we can go with that airplane and without supplemental oxygen for the passengers. It\u2019s very challenging flying, spectacular scenery around those volcanoes but it\u2019s very challenging flying in the high elevations of that region. That was the first five days of my missions on this three week to Mesoamerica. So I would say the Guatemala volcanic region was one of the highlights. Also here in the Yucatan. I\u2019d been to Yucatan but only on the East coast, the Cancun-Cozumel area, but I\u2019ve been so impressed with the coastline, the wildlife, the bird life, the flamingos that we\u2019ve looked at. Today as we were on the north-east coast of Yucatan we saw the Whale Sharks, we saw turtles, manta rays. Three days ago with The Nature Conservancy we were south towards Campeche in the jungles of that region, so I\u2019m seeing it all here in the Yucatan, spectacular landscape.<\/p>\n

I.G. What can you say about how people can participate to help Lighthawk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. I think it\u2019s best to study the website, lighthawk.org, and understand the goals of Lighthawk. If a partner understands what Lighthawk is about and what resources Lighthawk has available, then they can adapt those resources to their mission. Flying over an area provides such a unique perspective to the partner, one they cannot see from the ground of course, and as I said earlier, many people have never flown in a small airplane. They get in an airliner but they\u2019re at 30,000 feet and you can\u2019t get a very good sense of the landscape at that altitude. But when you\u2019re at 500 feet, flying over a flock of flamingos, it\u2019s just a fascinating perspective and it opens the eyes and understanding of the partner organizations. So again, if the partner studies the mission of Lighthawk and understands what resources Lighthawk can provide, then the partner can take advantage of that as they write their proposal and then submit that and hopefully get some flying time from Lighthawk.<\/p>\n

I.G.\u00a0 That is in relation to the partner NGOs, but you also mentioned that it is private citizens who do most of the funding. What do you think motivates them, do you have any specific programs to raise funds? What can people do to help Lighthawk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. Yes, the primary contributions come from individuals, and these are people who may not be wealthy people, they may just be passionate about conservation and they know something about aviation and what Lighthawk is providing, so they choose to embrace that mission. They’ll write a check for a hundred dollars, or a thousand dollars, some for ten thousand dollars, and contribute to what Lighthawk is offering. We’re working harder to bring corporate sponsorship to Lighthawk, that\u2019s a difficult challenge because every non-profit out there is competing for the corporate dollars and the corporations look very carefully where they spend their development dollars.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This is an uncommon view for us birders: a high-altitude flying Magnificent Frigatebird, seen from above! (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"As<\/a>

As we head back to Merida, clouds part to reveal an open-air garbage dump. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Upon<\/a>

Upon closer inspection with the 300mm lens, it looks much worse. With all the brainpower we humans have, is this really the the best we can do? (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. These flights are mostly observation flights, correct? I mean, it\u2019s not about getting teams of people from one place to another, it\u2019s mostly about doing aerial reconnaissance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. Probably 95% of our work is that. There is an exception, in recent years we\u2019ve been more active in moving wildlife. For instance, and this is just one example, we\u2019ve been moving the Black-footed ferret from its original habitat in Montana to different places, breeding areas and so forth, and we\u2019ll put them in dog kennels, load them aboard an airplane, and move them in some cases 600 or 800 miles, and the pilot will volunteer his flying time to move that dog kennel with a small family of ferrets to a new destination. So there\u2019s a different example, that\u2019s a point-to-point mission as opposed to an overflight mission. And we\u2019re doing more of that. We\u2019ve also moved some wolves.<\/p>\n

I.G. And why are these animals being relocated?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. For breeding purposes and to try to establish them in a new habitat, perhaps they were originally in that region but they moved out or they no longer populate that area, so they\u2019re trying to repopulate certain species in a particular area.<\/p>\n

\"Granted,<\/a>

Granted, building materials must come from somewhere, but it’s not a pretty sight. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"When<\/a>

When those building materials are used to erect human dwellings that resemble windowless boxes, again I have to wonder: is this the best we can do? (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G. Before we close this conversation, is there anything you\u2019d like to add?<\/strong><\/p>\n

L.S. Let me say this about Mesoamerica: as I said earlier the original founders saw a need and a purpose for supporting initiatives in the Mesoamerica region. This is my first time here, and now that I\u2019ve seen firsthand the opportunities that Lighthawk can provide to our partners, the more committed I am to the continuation of our Mesoamerica program. I\u2019m a member of the Board of Directors of Lighthawk, the board has oversight of all these programs and determines where Lighthawk places its resources, and for me it\u2019s been a terrific opportunity to come here, see the challenging flying we\u2019re doing, be part of it and experience the relationship with our partners here. I believe we can continue to build upon these relationships, and I think over the years we can continue to do really good work together.<\/p>\n

\"Before<\/a>

Before our final landing, Captain Bud regales us with a view of downtown Merida, a fitting transition back to earth-bound reality. (Photo \u00a9 Ivan Gabaldon – Aerial support provided by Lighthawk to Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan).<\/p><\/div>\n

I.G.H.<\/p>\n

———————————–<\/p>\n

Learn more about important conservation initiatives by visiting the websites of Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan<\/a> and Lighthawk.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

———————————–<\/p>\n

We’re pleased to report that this story has also been published in the blog of NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.ORG. We thank them, and\u00a0here’s the link!<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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The sun is just beginning to rise but I feel none of its warmth as I walk towards the vintage Cessna on the wet tarmac of Merida’s airport. I’m about to embark on my first aerial photography mission for Pronatura … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,14],"tags":[140,143,139,98,142,141,128],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8520"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8520"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10236,"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8520\/revisions\/10236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rideintobirdland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}