A comprehensive drone training session was successfully coordinated by the EPIC Grenadines Team as part of its ongoing island restoration and seabird conservation efforts. The session, which was led by Mr. Cornelius Lyttle, a GIS Specialist with the Forestry Services for the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and who leads the department’s mapping activities, provided hands-on instruction in drone handling, safety protocols, and aerial photography techniques. Participants gained essential skills to support long-term environmental monitoring and enhance local capacity for conservation work across the Grenadines.
The training was conducted in collaboration with local agencies, including the Departments of Fisheries and Forestry, the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority, and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard. 
Following the training, the newly acquired drone was deployed during field visits to the Pillories on April 15 and Battowia Island on April 23, 2025. The drone was used to capture footage of nesting seabirds, seabirds in flight, aerial images of nesting density, changes in vegetation density and cover, and the presence of invasive species, which pose serious threats to these remote island ecosystems.
EPIC staff and agency officers are now equipped to use drone imagery for scientific documentation and early threat detection. The aerial images will also be used in outreach activities including the creation of future documentary videos and in educational presentations.
This project is funded by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration funds, administered by the United States Department of the Interior and is a collaborative effort between EPIC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Services, and SCIENCE. Together, we aim to convene local and international expertise to ensure the long-term protection of seabird populations in the region. Keep an eye out for breathtaking aerial views of the Grenadines as this technology helps us safeguard the region’s natural heritage. Thank you to all our partners for their continued collaboration.
