LightHawk has bestowed its 2026 Volunteer Pilot Awards, honoring five aviators for providing flight operations supporting environmental research, land preservation, and endangered wildlife transport, according to organization officials.
LightHawk volunteer pilots donate their time, aircraft, and fuel to support conservation groups across North America.
Jamie Gamble (left) received the President’s Award, the organization’s highest honor. Flying since 2010, Gamble has supported conservation missions across New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and Wisconsin. His flight service helped organizations assess forest habitats in Vermont, monitor algal blooms on Lake Champlain, and advance efforts to protect 78,000 acres in northwestern Maine.
The Spirit of LightHawk Award was presented to Alan Kinback (right), who has flown missions throughout South Florida since 2007. Kinback documented development encroachment on Florida panther habitats, coral reef decline, and coastal changes caused by sea level rise.
Lane Gormley (left) received the Rockwell Award, which honors flexibility and commitment in the cockpit. Since 2015, Gormley has served as one of the organization’s primary Pacific Northwest pilots.
“He is simply a delight to work with on any LightHawk mission,” said Betsy Daub, LightHawk Western Program Manager.
Kenneth and Gabrielle Adelman (right) earned the Carpenter Award for logging the most donated flight hours in a personally owned aircraft. The Adelmans contributed 45.6 flight hours in a Cessna Citation CJ2, expediting the relocation of endangered wolf pups and black-footed ferrets to minimize travel stress.
Eric Berman (left) was named Rookie of the Year after joining the pilot corps in 2025. Berman completed 13 conservation flights, including recurring project missions on behalf of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
For more information: LightHawk.org
Leave a Reply