Pearl Flies a Drone (Again)
- Ruby B
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Pearl has once again headed out into the Watershed to fly a drone, this time to capture fall colors! Regular readers of Pearl's Corner may remember a blog post from this past spring where Pearl flew a drone. Now, it is a new season and time to fly the drone again.
This session, Pearl flew the drone in Montgomery, North Troy, and Lowell. She started in Montgomery at Riverwalk Park, a favorite spot of Pearl. Here, the drone soared above The Trout River and took in the scenery. Pearl made sure to take a dip in the river before leaving. Next, Pearl went to Creamery Bridge in Montgomery and took photos of the covered bridge and the yellow and orange trees around it. To end the Montgomery trip, the drone flew above River Street to get shots of mountains, the river, and surrounding buildings.
Pearl drove over the mountain to get more breath taking drone shots. She went all the way to the edge of the Watershed in Lowell at one of Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee's (UMATR) river access points. Here, Pearl got more shots of the river and surrounding mountains. To cap off the drone adventure, Pearl went to North Troy and gave someone else a turn to fly the done. This allowed several pictures of Pearl enjoying the day. These are some of MRBA's favorite drone photos to get.
When flying the drone, Pearl was expecting to see beautiful fall colors, which she did see. However, she was not expecting to see the drought stricken rivers and streams. The entire state of Vermont is currently experiencing a historic drought. This August was the driest August on record since the data began in 1885.
This drought is effecting all parts of Vermont including forests and farms. Lake Champlain is nearing a historic low water level that was recorded in 1908. The Missisquoi River flows into Lake Champlain at Missisquoi Bay in Swanton. When rivers are not being fed by rain fall and snow melt, lake levels drop.
Climate change is making droughts occur more often and with and increased frequency. This mainly happens through rising global temperatures, which intensify the water cycle by increasing evaporation, and through changing precipitation patterns. This can lead to drier conditions in some areas, which Pearl witnessed first hand. To lessen the effects of the drought, Vermont residents are being asked to refrain from burning, conserve water, and keep and eye on water well levels. Let's hope for some drought ending rain soon.
Pearl is looking forward to flying the drone again soon and continuing to monitor the drought conditions. Be sure to follow @mrbavt & @umatrvt on social media to see more of Pearl's drone footage!
