LIGHTHAWK in Utila!

The month of April saw WSORC spread its wings and take to the skies, literally!  With the arrival of Lighthawk and their dedicated volunteer pilots, WSORC volunteers and Utila Lodge resort Captain Albert hopped on board a small lightweight aircraft and took to the skies on an aerial transect survey searching for whale sharks around the island of Utila and Roatan. 

In a sturdy, albeit noisy 6-seater aircraft we took off at Utila’s airstrip and made our way out towards the cays at the west end of Utila.  The opportunity to see this beautiful island from the air was a truly amazing experience, one I shall never forget and neither will any of my co-passengers I’m sure!

The aim of the aerial survey was to monitor the abundance and distribution of whale sharks in the coastal waters surrounding Utila and Roatan.  Despite experiencing the most spectacular views of the Bay Islands from the air, the whale sharks clearly did not receive the memo that we were in search of them and remained hidden.  Regardless of their absence, it was a wonderful experience, and any researcher will tell you, absence is just as significant a finding as presence and one not to be ignored.

For those of our readers unfamiliar with U.S. based organisation Lighthawk, here is a little background reading.  The commendable efforts of Lighthawk and their volunteer pilots facilitate the conservation efforts of a whole host of conservation organisations across the United States, Mexico, Central America, and parts of Canada; these volunteer pilots are indeed “flying for conservation.” 

Lighthawk’s mission is “to champion environmental protection through the unique perspective of flight, and provides flight as a tool to protect land, water and wildlife in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and parts of Canada.”  The projects Lighthawk’s volunteer pilots are assigned to stretch far and wide; from transporting Mexican wolves into the wildlands of Arizona for release, to airlifting an injured Howler monkey to a rehabilitation center in Belize, to assisting in the discovery of the first harpy eagle nest in Honduras whilst enabling Panthera (local NGO) to survey the surrounding area in order to protect it, to the aerial survey conducted here in Utila for whale sharks and the surrounding waters.  Lighthawk’s efforts and dedicated volunteer pilots are facilitating the efforts of many conservation organisations in a truly unique and hugely beneficial way, thank you Lighthawk!