SouthWings

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

I'm taking some conservationists up tomorrow for SouthWings to document
polluters and illegal loggers around the southern MS-LA border. Last year we
managed to convince Wal-Mart and Home Depot that the cypress mulch they were
selling came from illegal loggers and millers and they stopped buying it.
That shut the crooks down and saved hundreds of acres of irreplaceable mature
cypress, which is critical to wetlands preservation in the Atchafalaya Basin.

This is valuable work and fun, low altitude flying (and it's deductible, too).
SouthWings supports conservation efforts across the southeast U. S. Anyone in
interested in being a volunteer pilot for SouthWings may contact Caroline at
http://www.southwings.org/index2.html .


--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

[Bertie the Bunyip[_22_]]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in
:

> I'm taking some conservationists up tomorrow for SouthWings to
> document polluters and illegal loggers around the southern MS-LA
> border. Last year we managed to convince Wal-Mart and Home Depot that
> the cypress mulch they were selling came from illegal loggers and
> millers and they stopped buying it. That shut the crooks down and
> saved hundreds of acres of irreplaceable mature cypress, which is
> critical to wetlands preservation in the Atchafalaya Basin.
>
> This is valuable work and fun, low altitude flying (and it's
> deductible, too). SouthWings supports conservation efforts across the
> southeast U. S. Anyone in interested in being a volunteer pilot for
> SouthWings may contact Caroline at
> http://www.southwings.org/index2.html .
>
>

Cool! well done!


Bertie

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote:

>> I'm taking some conservationists up tomorrow for SouthWings to
>> document polluters and illegal loggers around the southern MS-LA
>> border. Last year we managed to convince Wal-Mart and Home Depot that
>> the cypress mulch they were selling came from illegal loggers and
>> millers and they stopped buying it. That shut the crooks down and
>> saved hundreds of acres of irreplaceable mature cypress, which is
>> critical to wetlands preservation in the Atchafalaya Basin.
>>
>> This is valuable work and fun, low altitude flying (and it's
>> deductible, too). SouthWings supports conservation efforts across the
>> southeast U. S. Anyone in interested in being a volunteer pilot for
>> SouthWings may contact Caroline at
>> http://www.southwings.org/index2.html .
>>
>>
>
> Cool! well done!

Thx.

We caught some more yesterday, and my pax will sic the U. S. Army Corps of
Engineers on them Monday.

We also got photographic evidence on a chemical plant dumping pollution into
the Mississippi River. Too early to tell what the upshot of that will be, but
it most likely it will be unpleasant for the pricks making money by dumping
poison in the river.

It was a great trip, finished off with an ILS to minimums coming home this
afternoon. Perfect.

This is great flying and you meet some great people. SoutWings needs more
pilots, so, again, pilots in the SE U. S. may contact Caroline at
http://www.southwings.org/index2.html to get involved.


--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

[Bertie the Bunyip[_22_]]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in
:

>
> "Bertie the Bunyip" wrote:
>
>>> I'm taking some conservationists up tomorrow for SouthWings to
>>> document polluters and illegal loggers around the southern MS-LA
>>> border. Last year we managed to convince Wal-Mart and Home Depot
>>> that the cypress mulch they were selling came from illegal loggers
>>> and millers and they stopped buying it. That shut the crooks down
>>> and saved hundreds of acres of irreplaceable mature cypress, which
>>> is critical to wetlands preservation in the Atchafalaya Basin.
>>>
>>> This is valuable work and fun, low altitude flying (and it's
>>> deductible, too). SouthWings supports conservation efforts across
>>> the southeast U. S. Anyone in interested in being a volunteer pilot
>>> for SouthWings may contact Caroline at
>>> http://www.southwings.org/index2.html .
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Cool! well done!
>
> Thx.
>
> We caught some more yesterday, and my pax will sic the U. S. Army
> Corps of Engineers on them Monday.
>
> We also got photographic evidence on a chemical plant dumping
> pollution into the Mississippi River. Too early to tell what the
> upshot of that will be, but it most likely it will be unpleasant for
> the pricks making money by dumping poison in the river.
>
> It was a great trip, finished off with an ILS to minimums coming home
> this afternoon. Perfect.
>
> This is great flying and you meet some great people. SoutWings needs
> more pilots, so, again, pilots in the SE U. S. may contact Caroline at
> http://www.southwings.org/index2.html to get involved.
>
Hmm, wonder if there's somethign similar in my area...


Bertie

[Bertie the Bunyip[_22_]]

John Smith > wrote in news:jsmith-4363D6.23531326012008
@news-server.columbus.rr.com:

>
> Back when I used to fly formation with some friends in L-birds, we would
> meet early on Sunday mornings to brief. We would occassionally notice a
> rising column of black smoke on the horizon. The fellow who owned the
> airstrip told us it was one of the local companies. They always burned
> things on the weekend because they knew the EPA had the weekends off.
>

You're kidding!


Wel, the only thing I ever did was I spotted a ship with a long slick
trailing. We went out and circled it ( I asked the pax to all observe so
they could be wintesses.) We told ATC and i believe they notified the Coast
Guard. I never found out.

Bertie

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote:

>> Back when I used to fly formation with some friends in L-birds, we would
>> meet early on Sunday mornings to brief. We would occassionally notice a
>> rising column of black smoke on the horizon. The fellow who owned the
>> airstrip told us it was one of the local companies. They always burned
>> things on the weekend because they knew the EPA had the weekends off.
>>
>
> You're kidding!
>
>
> Wel, the only thing I ever did was I spotted a ship with a long slick
> trailing. We went out and circled it ( I asked the pax to all observe so
> they could be wintesses.) We told ATC and i believe they notified the Coast
> Guard. I never found out.

I've been shocked to discover what a David vs. Goliath battle
environmentalists are fighting in the SE U. S.

There is ONE VOLUNTEER GUY in the lower Mississippi Delta area to monitor
polluters, illegal wetlands draining and illegal logging. The so-called
enforcement organizations of the U. S. gov't have pitiful resources to go
after violators. The EPA and the Corps of Engineers have NO aviation assets
at their command to cover hundreds of thousands of square miles. It's a joke.
It really makes me want to puke when I hear the rightards whining about
"restrictive environmental regulations." Bull****.

--
Dan

"Shut up! Shut up!"
- Bill O'Reilly

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in
:

>
> "Bertie the Bunyip" wrote:
>
>>> Back when I used to fly formation with some friends in L-birds, we
>>> would meet early on Sunday mornings to brief. We would occassionally
>>> notice a rising column of black smoke on the horizon. The fellow who
>>> owned the airstrip told us it was one of the local companies. They
>>> always burned things on the weekend because they knew the EPA had
>>> the weekends off.
>>>
>>
>> You're kidding!
>>
>>
>> Wel, the only thing I ever did was I spotted a ship with a long slick
>> trailing. We went out and circled it ( I asked the pax to all observe
>> so they could be wintesses.) We told ATC and i believe they notified
>> the Coast Guard. I never found out.
>
> I've been shocked to discover what a David vs. Goliath battle
> environmentalists are fighting in the SE U. S.
>
> There is ONE VOLUNTEER GUY in the lower Mississippi Delta area to
> monitor polluters, illegal wetlands draining and illegal logging. The
> so-called enforcement organizations of the U. S. gov't have pitiful
> resources to go after violators. The EPA and the Corps of Engineers
> have NO aviation assets at their command to cover hundreds of
> thousands of square miles. It's a joke. It really makes me want to
> puke when I hear the rightards whining about "restrictive
> environmental regulations." Bull****.
>

Well, many regulatory bodies have been systematically disassembled by
the government in the last 20 years. The democrats have been almost as
bad, BTW.
Often it's done under the flag of "getting big governemtn out of our
hair" The meat packing industry is one who's story is particularly
appaling, but it's one of hundreds, of course.

Bertie

[Longworth[_1_]]

On Jan 28, 8:53*pm, "Dan Luke" > wrote:

>
> I've been shocked to discover what a David vs. Goliath battle
> environmentalists are fighting in the SE U. S.
>
> There is ONE VOLUNTEER GUY in the lower Mississippi Delta area to monitor
> polluters, illegal wetlands draining and illegal logging. *The so-called

Dan,
I'm shocked too. I just wish that there were more environmental
volunteer flight organizations for pilots to join. I checked out
LightHawk's requirements few years ago and they wanted a minimum of
1000hrs. I am now at only 750hrs so it will take me at least two more
years to qualify. I visited Southwings website yesterday and was very
impressed. It's too bad that there is no similar organization in the
Northeast.
Keep up the good work.

Regards,
Hai Longworth

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

"Longworth" wrote:

> I visited Southwings website yesterday and was very
> impressed. It's too bad that there is no similar
> organization in the Northeast.

Give Caroline a shout anyway. She might know of something up your way.

> Keep up the good work.

Thanks, but I'm no hero. It's a lot of fun for a pilot.

--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in news:13pvs5fdqaff14
@news.supernews.com:

>
> "Longworth" wrote:
>
>> I visited Southwings website yesterday and was very
>> impressed. It's too bad that there is no similar
>> organization in the Northeast.
>
> Give Caroline a shout anyway. She might know of something up your way.
>
>> Keep up the good work.
>
> Thanks, but I'm no hero. It's a lot of fun for a pilot.
>

Perhaps some education for interested pilots might be a good way to augment
this program. Lots of airplanes crisscrossing the sky at any time and just
about anyone would be interested in not seeing his back yard turned into
Love Canal. Some flyers with some general info on what to look for would
probably pay dividends.


Bertie

[Morgans[_2_]]

"Bertie the Bunyip" > wrote

> Perhaps some education for interested pilots might be a good way to
> augment
> this program. Lots of airplanes crisscrossing the sky at any time and just
> about anyone would be interested in not seeing his back yard turned into
> Love Canal. Some flyers with some general info on what to look for would
> probably pay dividends.

Good point!

If there are as many problems as the thread seems to indicate, it should not
be hard to find the problems, if people knew what to look for, and how to
contact someone.

Somebody should take this ball, and run with it!
--
Jim in NC

[Dan Luke[_2_]]

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote:

> Perhaps some education for interested pilots might be a good way to augment
> this program. Lots of airplanes crisscrossing the sky at any time and just
> about anyone would be interested in not seeing his back yard turned into
> Love Canal. Some flyers with some general info on what to look for would
> probably pay dividends.

Pilots may certainly report large spills or uncontained runoffs to the Corps
of Engineers or EPA. They will want lat/long of the site.

But it takes an expert observer in many cases to know what to look for,
especially illegal logging. Some clear-cutting is legal, some isn't.

It's best to contact a conservation organization in your area. Many areas
have bay or riverkeeper groups who could probably use some help putting eyes
in the sky. Some examples:

http://www.riverkeeper.org/

http://www.blackwaternottoway.com/

http://www.waterkeeper.org/subsites/subfeaturedetails.aspx?userid=148&articleid=196


--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

[Bertie the Bunyip[_24_]]

"Dan Luke" > wrote in
:

>
> "Bertie the Bunyip" wrote:
>
>> Perhaps some education for interested pilots might be a good way to
>> augment this program. Lots of airplanes crisscrossing the sky at any
>> time and just about anyone would be interested in not seeing his back
>> yard turned into Love Canal. Some flyers with some general info on
>> what to look for would probably pay dividends.
>
> Pilots may certainly report large spills or uncontained runoffs to the
> Corps of Engineers or EPA. They will want lat/long of the site.
>
> But it takes an expert observer in many cases to know what to look
> for, especially illegal logging. Some clear-cutting is legal, some
> isn't.
>
> It's best to contact a conservation organization in your area. Many
> areas have bay or riverkeeper groups who could probably use some help
> putting eyes in the sky. Some examples:
>
> http://www.riverkeeper.org/
>
> http://www.blackwaternottoway.com/
>
> http://www.waterkeeper.org/subsites/subfeaturedetails.aspx?userid=148
&a
> rticleid=196
>
>

Mm, OK< I'm going to ask around tomorrow. As I mentioned before, I dimed
out a shop for dumping oil or something once, but you're right, I'd have
no idea what to look for or what would be legal or not. They'd probably
get kind of peeved being called out on wild goose chases.


Bertie