The LightHawk Mission // Flying over Grand Staircase Escalante - June 2019
We’re proud to announce that On Strange Soil has partnered with Light Hawk, a conservation organization that pairs pilots with members of the conservation community to fly over tracts of land to gain unique information.
At 10:30am on Saturday, May 18th we arrive at Escalante Municipal Airport and Canoe Rental. There is an excitement in the air as we wait for our pilot Will to land on 13 North. With the buzz of a single engine 1978 Cessna on the horizon, our anxiety builds to get up in the air and begin capturing the hidden powerful beauty of a remote landscape.
This flight would provide us with an unparalleled understanding of the different regions of the former and current national monument boundaries. Several days before, our flight had to change, resulting in creating 8 Waypoints over the national monument. Our primary objective of this flight is to document from the air, key landscapes and landmarks that have since been removed from the national monument and consequently removing their protections.
As our story producing moves forward, we keep learning of new tales from all different individuals whose lives are being impacted by boundary reductions. Most recently, we’ve been informed of a dinosaur dig site where previously unknown dinosaur species are being unearthed. The site exists 50ft past the current boundary, but was inside of the Clinton era boundaries.
The primary objectives of this flight were to document and provide a cinematic experience to audiences so that they experience the following regions for the film.
The Grand Staircase Formation
Vermillion Cliffs around Paria
The Southern and more remote areas of the Kaiparowits Plateau where coal deposits have been discovered
The Coal Seam Fire on the Kaiparowits Plateau
Straight Cliffs / Hole in the Rock Road
Several Slot Canyons / Hole in the Rock Road
Coal Mesa Mine
Archaeological Sites north of the town of Escalante
GSENM used to cover 3% of Utah’s overall land-mass at over 1.9 million acres. Some may argue that the monument boundaries were so large that they restricted access to economic opportunities for rural Utahans, and were an example of Federal overreach. It’s nothing new that conservation efforts in our country will always be controversial. However, when one looks down on the earth at this tract of land, with no roads, no development, and no human impacts,one can see that it tells a story. A story of the history of our planet, and where we come from. A place to show us that we are all creatures on a planet that is capable of creating landscapes that quiets our minds, and fulfills our souls with a child-like sense of wonder and exploration. Most importantly this place is a resource to remind us that we are also wild creatures and depend on these wild places to understand and reconnect with what it is to be human.
Once again, we want to express our gratitude for the support of LightHawk. Without this sponsorship, and their volunteer pilots who remain committed to an important part of conservation efforts, this important cinematic footage of the newly unprotected areas of Grand Staircase National Monument would not have been possible. We encourage you to look further into LightHawk, give them a follow on social media and, if you have the means, please consider a donation towards their mission.
