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| EcoFlight | |
|---|---|
| Name | EcoFlight |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Missoula, Montana |
| Area served | Western United States |
| Focus | Conservation advocacy, aviation-supported environmental monitoring |
EcoFlight EcoFlight is a nonprofit aviation organization that conducts aerial conservation advocacy, scientific monitoring flights, and media outreach across the Western United States. Founded in 1991 and based in Missoula, Montana, it partners with environmental groups, academic institutions, and regional agencies to document landscape change, wildlife habitats, and energy development from the air. EcoFlight combines staff pilots and conservation scientists to produce imagery, data, and policy briefings that inform public debates over land use, wildlife corridors, and energy infrastructure.
EcoFlight operates at the intersection of aviation, conservation science, and environmental advocacy, providing airborne platforms for observational surveys, photographic documentation, and stakeholder engagement. The organization frequently collaborates with entities such as Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and university research programs at University of Montana and Montana State University. Flights typically focus on landscapes including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Bitterroot Range, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming Basin, and riparian corridors along the Missouri River and Yellowstone River. EcoFlight’s work is used by conservation coalitions, legislative staff, and media outlets to contextualize issues like energy development in regions such as the Powder River Basin, Williston Basin, and Gunnison Basin.
EcoFlight was established in 1991 amid rising concerns about industrial expansion, highway proposals, and energy extraction in western landscapes. Early aerial campaigns documented proposed road corridors, National Park Service boundary concerns, and impacts to big-game migration routes used by species such as elk, mule deer, and pronghorn. Over time EcoFlight expanded from regional photography missions to integrated science programs that partnered with research groups at institutions including Yale School of the Environment, University of Colorado Boulder, and Colorado State University. Notable historical collaborations have included work relevant to policy debates around Roadless Rule implementations, Endangered Species Act petitions involving grizzly bear populations, and regional land-use planning in states like Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado.
The organization’s mission emphasizes using aviation to advance conservation outcomes through empirical observation and public engagement. Programs include aerial wildlife surveys coordinated with agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management, photographic documentation for campaigns by groups like Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy, and outreach flights for elected officials, journalists, and community leaders from institutions such as U.S. Geological Survey and state legislatures. EcoFlight also supports scientific monitoring projects tracking fragmentation of habitats within landscapes such as the Greater Sage-Grouse range, the Crown of the Continent, and migration chokepoints tied to Interstate 90 and U.S. Route 89 corridors.
EcoFlight maintains a small fleet of fixed-wing aircraft optimized for low-altitude observation, long loiter times, and high-visibility windows; aircraft types have included models similar to those used by aerial survey operators and flight schools. The organization integrates imaging technologies such as high-resolution digital photography, multispectral sensors compatible with research efforts at NASA and NOAA, and GPS-referenced telemetry to support geospatial analysis with partners at Esri-using labs and institutional GIS centers. Flight crews adhere to aviation safety standards aligned with guidance from Federal Aviation Administration and coordinate with regional air traffic facilities including those at Missoula International Airport and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.
Operationally, EcoFlight schedules missions seasonally to align with biological events—spring migration, calving, and fall aggregation—and with permitting processes involving federal and state agencies like U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Partnerships span environmental NGOs, academic research groups, journalism organizations such as ProPublica and regional outlets, and conservation funders. Collaborative projects have supported litigation or policy campaigns involving stakeholders like Conservation Lands Foundation, Montana Wilderness Association, and statewide conservation networks in Wyoming and Idaho.
Aerial documentation produced by EcoFlight has been cited in public comment campaigns, environmental reviews under statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act, and advocacy materials addressing industrial footprints in basins like the Piceance Basin and Uinta Basin. Imagery and flight reports have informed debates over infrastructure siting, wildlife connectivity initiatives such as landscape-scale corridor proposals, and landmark conservation designations. EcoFlight’s visual evidence has been used by coalitions seeking protections for habitats used by species including sage-grouse, grizzly bear, and migratory ungulates, and has supported investigative reporting by outlets including The New York Times and National Geographic.
Funding for EcoFlight derives from a mixture of foundation grants, donations from individuals and conservation organizations, and fee-for-service contracts with partners in academic and non-governmental sectors. Major philanthropic supporters of aerial conservation and related programs have included foundations aligned with conservation philanthropy networks and regional donors engaged with entities such as Bonner Family Foundation-type organizations and community foundations in the Rocky Mountain West. Governance is administered by a board of directors composed of aviation professionals, conservation scientists, and nonprofit leaders with ties to institutions such as University of Montana, Montana Audubon, and regional conservation trusts.
Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States Category:Conservation aviation