DRONES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
“Seeing the opportunities that it presents for us and being able to accomplish new tasks has opened my eyes,” Perkins says. “It has my gears turning.” The drone he’s using is designed for agriculture, and it is a large piece of equipment. With its arms unfolded, it is roughly the size of a compact car. A removable tank affixed to its belly makes it possible to target unwanted plants with herbicide or carry out granular seeding. Rechargeable batteries can be swapped out continuously to power operations. There is also a video camera that provides Perkins with a birds-eye view of the sprawling hills and valleys of Dunn Ranch Prairie. Footage from the drone can then be used to map bison grazing patterns and create models of the terrain and vegetation. That’s already deepening our understanding of what’s happening on the ground and will drive more research in the future. “We are partnering with a few different government entities and colleges exploring different hardware, software
programs and AI resourcing for remote sensing high-value plants, invasives and endangered species,” he says. “We are really just starting to see some of the ways the technology can help us achieve our goals.” Last fall, Perkins started a drone tacticians team, looping in experienced operators and others to share knowledge and pursue a long- term goal of expanding the drone program and training opportunities Worldwide, mapping and modeling remain the primary ways TNC is using drones, but their versatility has spread into other avenues. That includes prescribed fire. Ryan Gauger, fire and stewardship manager in Missouri, says the Conservancy’s burn teams are not yet using drones in the state, but the machines are almost certainly part of the future. He has had conversations with colleagues in other states who have begun integrating them into their prescribed fire operations with promising results. to other preserves. A Fire Future
There is also interest among TNC’s partners in Missouri. One of the main themes of our fire program in the Show-Me State is filling gaps in the network of fire practitioners as a way to expand the overall capacity for controlled burning. Drones are another possible pathway to that goal. “I think that it will be important for TNC in Missouri to stay on the cutting edge of this and build our program to incorporate them and make them available to help partners accomplish their goals,” Gauger says. TNC is a global leader in using “good fire” for conservation, adopting and adapting an old tool developed over millennia by Indigenous peoples. The majority of landscapes across North America evolved with fire, both set by humans and sparked by nature. Regular, low-burning fires rejuvenate and protect ecosystems by clearing away overgrown brush that can choke out more delicate plants and fuel unnaturally intense wildfires if left unchecked. That process was interrupted by a century of federal policies that overemphasized squelching fires as quickly as possible and underemphasized controlled burning, in many cases blocking Tribes from a practice passed down through generations. As TNC embarks on an ambitious slate of goals to accomplish by 2030, continuing to restore prescribed fire to fire-evolved landscapes will be an important component of our commitment to conserving 1.6 billion acres of land worldwide. Growing the capacity to burn safely and responsibly will be critical. That includes a foundation of building out a skilled workforce and supporting Indigenous fire practitioners, but also mastering evolving technology. TNC’s fire program in Arkansas has been an early adopter of drones.
THIS PAGE TNC is testing different ways of using drones for conservation. © Clint Harris/TNC
4 MISSOURI : ACTION AND IMPACT
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online