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Local residents could soon have a better view of the Chehalis River Basin than ever before if a proposal for a drone program in the area goes forward.
During the latest meeting of the Chehalis Basin Board on Thursday, Sept. 4, a new member of the Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) floated the idea of the regional agency investing in a drone to better capture current images of the river basin.
Mitch Paine, a new staff member for OCB, led the presentation on the drone proposal. As part of that presentation, Paine pitched the idea of an OCB drone program conducting monthly flights around the basin to measure progress of current projects and view the impacts of changing habitat and natural disasters.
“We’ll work with the partners and the staff to understand areas of high priority,” Paine said, “Things to capture. Things to go back to. And then hopefully, if/when flooding occurs again in the basin, then we can actually use this drone to capture imagery that helps us tell the story of what flooding looks like from the air and what we can learn from it.”
Paine went on to add that while the office could hire others or use aerial photography to capture the photos, having its own drone offers certain benefits. Among those, he first pointed out that drone photography provides a balance between getting a wide view that shows the surroundings and context of a site while still getting closer than a plane can to show the details of a project or habitat. This is partially because drones can only legally fly 400 feet off the ground in most locations.
He also said that it is important for OCB staff to have access to the drone because they will be the most knowledgeable on which sites and projects need attention and how best to capture them with a drone.
Paine added that he was personally asked to give the presentation on the drone proposal because of his own experience using drones for personal use and for projects similar to those done by OCB. He quickly shared his own experience in using some of his personal drone photography during his time working for FEMA to show higher-ups the real impacts on the ground.
“A lot of them said that this image was the thing that really helped them understand what that meant infrastructure wise, like roads and bridges,” Paine said. “So, hopefully, we can do the same here.”
Paine is also already a licensed drone pilot. As a result, OCB would be able to launch its drone program almost immediately after acquiring a drone and any necessary equipment.
After Paine's presentation, some members of the board made comments to highlight what they saw as important things to consider. Glen Connelly was the first to comment, asking that the office work with private landowners and sovereign tribes when photographing above or near their property if the proposal moves forward.
“I'm pointing out, if we're going to be using or publishing things, the landowners below might want to know, at least give their thumbs for approval for use for things,” Connelly said. “If things are going to be used out in the public realm, just be aware of where you are.”
Another board member, J. Vander Stoep, said he'd like to see a drone stored at a location within the Chehalis Basin during flood season so that OCB could get photos of damages or other major impacts from flooding.
“I just had a logistical thought that if it's December-January, and if we have a catastrophic flood while this program is underway, and Highway 6, Highway 12 and or I-5 are covered, having that drone in Olympia won't be helpful for capturing that event,” Vander Stoep said. “If there's a way to have drones in the basin during that time of year that could be flown to show that level of flooding, that would be something to consider.”
Other concerns included finding an efficient way to catalog the photos and keep track of the most important projects.
The idea to purchase a drone for OCB comes at least in part from the Washington state Department of Ecology, which started its own drone program in 2022. According to Paine, Ecology currently has around 20 active drone missions. They include duties such as monitoring natural erosion or monitoring progress on different projects.
Since OCB is part of the state's Department of Ecology, the new drone would be in some way connected to the department and also subject to the department's rules on drones. It would also have to receive approval from the Ecology Deputy Director Heather Bartlett.
Some of the core rules laid out by Ecology include using drones only for data collection and imagery but never for regulation enforcement. According to the Department of Ecology, the drone program proposal is still being considered by the Office of Chehalis Basin and is not yet final.
