My staff or board still isn’t convinced.

Monitors report feeling more satisfied using remote imagery in place of in-person monitoring, as shown in the table below.

While on an in-person visit, monitors report they are often only able to see a portion of the property while remote imagery gives them a view of the entire property. In fact, remote imagery enables monitors to identify changes to the property they would not have otherwise been able to see from the ground.

Another major benefit of remote monitoring is the reduction of risks to staff who may encounter various hazards in the field, such as ticks, snakes or other wild animals, storm damage, steep slopes, unauthorized third-party activities (e.g., marijuana growing operations) and altercations with trespassers.

Land trusts have found a number of other uses for remote imagery, including:

• Acquisition preparation

• Baseline documentation

• Violation research and resolution

• Ecological monitoring

• Restoration

• Management plans

• Information for grant applications

The technology can also be used for larger organizational goals related to:

• Climate change impacts

• Carbon sequestration

• Achieving 30X30 initiative goals