LightHawk Conservation Flying

Activities

LightHawk utilizes over 300 volunteer pilots, aircraft, donated flight time, and fuel to support environmental and wildlife work in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The organization collaborates with other conservation partners whose work can be boosted by an aerial perspective and flight campaigns, with LightHawk providing flights at no direct cost to those partners. ⁴

The organization focuses on broad environmental areas, including landscapes, wildlife, oceans/coastlines, watersheds, and climate change. ⁵ LightHawk has flown missions transporting endangered species, including transporting wolves from Oregon to Colorado, ² monitoring river systems, and supporting land trusts with aerial mapping of parcels. ³

Partners

LightHawk has over 80 partners across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. ⁴

LightHawk’s partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) dates back to at least 2014, when their collaboration was first mentioned in the organization’s annual report. During this time, LightHawk built support for private land conservation with TNC.  ⁶ In 2024, LightHawk worked with TNC to monitor the populations of the island fox on California’s Channel Islands by conducting regular flights for radio telemetry and tracking. Findings were then shared with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. ³

LightHawk and the National Audubon Society have collaborated on various conservation initiatives, including avian research and habitat monitoring. In 2025, LightHawk supported Audubon’s aerial shorebird surveys in the Colorado River Delta, aiding in the estimation of migratory bird populations and the Delta’s significance as a stopover for shorebirds. ⁷ LightHawk’s 2022 Annual Report highlighted the partnership, again conducting aerial shorebird counts in the Colorado River Delta and complementing ground surveys. ⁸

Affiliations

LightHawk is a member organization of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global coalition that brings together governments, scientists, and nonprofits to address environmental challenges through research, coordinated action, and policy change. Membership gives LightHawk access to the IUCN’s policy frameworks and conservation data, as well as to participate in international discussions on biodiversity, climate resilience, and habitat protection. ⁹

LightHawk is listed as an approved environmental partner of 1% for the Planet and is part of a network of environmental nonprofits to which member businesses may direct funds. ¹⁰ Through this affiliation, companies can contribute toward LightHawk’s funding through the 1% for the Planet certification model. 1% for the Planet partners are environmental organizations working toward left-of-center policy towards climate justice, urban infrastructure, and equity. ¹¹

Funding

In 2023, The Eucalyptus Foundation, a California-based grantmaking organization, awarded $50,000 to LightHawk; ¹² the Walton Family Foundation, the charitable outlet for the Walton family that owns Walmart, awarded $100,000 for designing and executing flight campaigns that increase the capacity of conservation organizations focused on the Colorado River; ¹³ the Thomas W Haas Foundation, a large grantmaking foundation with over $19 million in revenue, awarded $100,000; ¹⁴ the Volgenau Foundation, a left-of-center grantmaking foundation focused on conservation, education, and classical music, awarded $50,000 for general support;  ¹⁵ and the Marisla Foundation awarded $25,000 for general support. ¹⁶