SLT Incorporates New Technology in the Age of COVID-19

By now everyone is familiar with the idea of social distancing. Our current global pandemic has shaped our lives in ways that look much different than last year. From wearing a mask in public places to working remotely from home, a majority of daily activities have changed in numerous ways.

Just like everyone else, the Shasta Land Trust has shifted the way work is done to conform to a safer way of conducting conservation activities. Technology has been a useful aid in the operations needed to protect the beautiful lands of Shasta County.

The act of physically visiting a site for conservation planning is no longer possible when there are large groups of people together. Site visits to potential conserved properties often involve people traveling from outside of the county and carpooling together to arrive at the same destination. In order to keep everyone’s safety a top priority, Shasta Land Trust has recently shown properties to potential stakeholders using drone footage, GIS (Geographic Info Systems), and powerpoint presentations.

Drone footage has proven to be a great way to view properties by seeing aerial views to get a larger view of the land. This view is great for seeing important features that could possibly be missed by seeing the land only on foot.

With less time spent traveling to multiple sites, the staff at Shasta Land Trust are able to focus their efforts on more conservation work. For example, there are eight active land projects using virtual technologies currently in the works. The use of technology for project development could potentially allow for more protected land in the future.