DNR Pilots Enjoy Bird's-Eye View Of Conservation

Art Kabelowsky

Art Kabelowsky is an outreach and communications specialist for the DNR’s Forest Health program.

Think back to the most amazing natural Wisconsin vista you’ve ever seen — those towering trees, that glistening water, the rolling hills and valleys. Now, imagine that same gorgeous view from 9,000 feet up.

An enviable vantage point, right? Well, it’s just another day at the office for the nine pilots in the DNR’s Aeronautics program, part of the Division of Forestry.

“It’s interesting to see the big picture, the largescale amazement of what we can do with sound forest management, and then compare that with being on the ground,” said Paul Christensen, section chief for the Aeronautics program.

“The beauty is more specific from the ground — individual trees and leaves, the interaction between the water and the woods. But from the air, you see the magnitude of it all, and how everything … fits into the big picture.”

Whether in their Cessna airplanes or behind the controls of DNR drones, the pilots — based out of five airports around the state — serve as soaring eyes in the sky for Wisconsin’s conservation programs. They support the agency wherever needed to fulfill its varied goals, from forestry to fisheries.

Wildlife Work

Job One for the pilots, especially in spring and summer, is to support the DNR’s wildfire prevention and suppression efforts.

“The biggest impact we’ve had within the aviation program is our dedication to fire,” said Christensen, who works out of the Siren Airport in Burnett County. “It can be a grueling process at times, but it is some of the most impactful work we can do.

“We’re funded by the people of Wisconsin, so it’s key to our mission to protect them and their resources.”

The pace of the work can vary, said Niki Gaskins, a DNR pilot based in Oshkosh.

“Some days are slow because not a lot is burning, but some days you’re called out for multiple fires,” Gaskins said. “We’re there to provide any help we can.”

New Tech Helps

Beyond fire work, a range of other tasks fills a pilot’s to-do list year-round, including mapping flood damage, photographing spongy moth defoliation and surveying populations of Wisconsin creatures, from ducks to deer.

“Every day is different, and it can change by the hour,” Gaskins said.

The Aeronautics program also can be pulled in to respond to emergencies such as tornadoes, floods and fuel spills, aid law enforcement and environmental regulation enforcement, assist in search-and-rescue efforts, conduct aerial telemetry surveys for various wildlife species and perform other tasks such as aerial tree seeding.

Christensen is excited by technical advancements that have helped DNR pilots in almost every phase of their work. Digital cameras with GPS capabilities have been an especially key improvement.

“Watching the state acknowledge and welcome new technology over the last 5-7 years has been big,” Christensen said. “Our upgrade in cameras has had such an impact. Being able to (geographically tag and map) the photos helps us to be more efficient.”

Sights To See

Gaskins recently started her third year as a DNR pilot after 17 years of experience as a flight instructor. One of her favorite assignments so far has been to survey eagles’ nests up and down the Lake Michigan shoreline. In Wisconsin, bald eagles generally lay eggs in late March or early April.

“We look to see if eagles are sitting on their nests,” Gaskins said. “We’ll go back in early May and see which ones have chicks, so our staff can go and band them.

“There are more than 100 (nests). We fly from Oshkosh to Sheboygan, then follow the shoreline up to Door County and down the peninsula to Green Bay.”

Taking to the air to protect Wisconsin’s resources is work for the pilots, but the sights they see can leave a personal impression.

“The waterfalls up there out of northwest Wisconsin get me,” Christensen said. “At Amnicon Falls State Park, the falls are pretty amazing from the air.

“I liked it so much I took the whole family there on a camping trip. It was beautiful. Now, my wife and kids make plans to go camping somewhere in Wisconsin every year.”