Pilot offers governors bird’s-eye view of burn scar

A nonprofit organization encouraged governors visiting during the Western Governors’ Association annual meeting to take an aerialtour of Colorado Springs’ burn scars.

The Waldo Canyon fire that burned in June 2012 and the Black Forest Fire that burned in June 2013 left scars on Colorado Springs’ landscape.

Pilot Bruce Gordon with Eco Flight said it’s important for governors to see the burn scars as they talk about extreme weather in their states and ways to combat it.

“That aerial perspective puts all those issues into the kind of perspective that elicits good conversation,” said Gordon.

He said he’s been flying mostly governors’ staff around Colorado Springs airspace so far, but he hopes governors will take him up on his offer.

“We have to work together,” said Gordon.

On Monday, the Western Governors’ Association and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration signed a memorandum of understanding. The agreement allows other states to step in and help each other during extreme weather situations.

“We are looking at how we can work together in harmony,” said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Governors are meeting through Wednesday. The group plans to talk about resources and wildlife conservation.