The Endangered Wolf Center welcomed Diego L. Gil-Agudelo and Brooke George of LightHawk Conservation Pilots to discuss the journey of a lifetime – transporting endangered wolves to the wild!
For over 10 years, LightHawk has been a key part of diverse species recovery programs throughout the U.S. From black-footed ferrets to condors and whooping cranes, LightHawk has become a reliable partner in helping to facilitate the recovery of these species.
Throughout the years, LightHawk has flown more than 125 Mexican wolves across the country, including adults between breeding facilities, pups to release sites, and across the Mexican border, all helping to increase the genetic diversity of endangered animals.
LightHawk relies on its network of about 300 volunteer pilots distributed across the U.S. that are willing to donate their time, equipment (airplanes), and fuel for the cause of conservation.
About Our Speakers:
Diego L. Gil-Agudelo
Diego has worked in conservation biology for over two decades. He started as a coral reef ecologist, studying coral disease outbreaks and bleaching events in different areas in the Caribbean. Then, his interests expanded to other ecosystems, extensively working with government, academia, and local communities to develop conservation strategies for natural resources. In 2010, after the Deep-Water Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Diego developed a program to study and provide guidance to minimize the impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration. In 2017, Diego joined Texas A&M University at Galveston as the Director of Research Operations, providing his expertise to researchers and leading the development of the Blue Economy strategy. Now at LightHawk, Diego brings his expertise in the conservation of natural resources, his passion for the environment, and his experience creating conservation programs to increase the impact of the organization in the conservation of natural resources in the US and beyond.
Brooke George
Brooke George has worked in the field of wildlife conservation since graduating with a degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in 2005. She has been involved in species management with agencies and universities from coastal Florida to Western Washington. During her role as a biologist, Brooke especially enjoyed her time working on developing protocols for species monitoring surveys and coordinating projects with conservation partners in wildlife health investigations and habitat restoration efforts. Highlights of her career so far involve working with pilots to capture Rocky Mountain elk and conducting aerial surveys in the Cascade Range of Washington. We are grateful to our event sponsors, Virgil and Sandra VanTrease.