Condor Aviation - owned by the Native American Yurok Tribe in California - has taken delivery of a special missions Cessna (single turboprop) 208 Caravan EX from Textron Aviation to be used for large-scale environmental projects.
According to a joint statement, Condor Aviation is a partnership between the Yurok Tribe’s Fisheries Department, one of the largest fisheries departments on the US West Coast, and the Yurok Tribe Construction Corporation. The Grand Caravan EX joins a Cessna (single piston) 182 Turbo Skylane already in service with Condor Aviation.
The newly acquired Caravan EX has been fitted with high-resolution aerial imaging and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) equipment, enabling three-dimensional maps of the earth’s surface while accumulating a broad range of information on terrestrial and aquatic environments. Condor Aviation will use the tools to collect data that will help drive large-scale river and habitat restoration projects, inform long-term natural resources management decisions, and assess the impact of climate change. Condor Aviation also offers contract mapping services to tribal, federal, state, and local partners in the Klamath Basin and across the United States.
“This new aircraft will significantly enhance our ability to holistically restore salmon-spawning streams and make our landscape more resilient to climate change,” said Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers. “We employ LiDAR data and high-definition aerial imagery to maximise the efficacy of our efforts to rebuild biologically diverse ecosystems and repair fire-damaged forests in Northern California.”
