Program Reports on Prairie Fire

April 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The size of Tucker Prairie has been slightly reduced since the construction of I-70; the area is 145 acres.

The size of Tucker Prairie has been slightly reduced since the construction of I-70; the area is 145 acres. Photo by Brendan Gibbons/KBIA

Last Tuesday, the Missouri Drone Journalism Program covered a prairie fire at Tucker Prairie near Kingdom City, Mo. to publish their second official piece.  The story we produced focuses on just what makes a prairie a prairie, and why the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) uses fire to maintain the land.

The MDC explains how a controlled fire is the best way to rid the prairie of harmful invasive species and restore the prairie back to it’s natural habitat.

Read the full story published by the program’s main partner KBIA as well as Harvest Public Media, and be sure to watch the video below, which includes aerial drone footage of the burn.

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Field Reporting Flight School 101

February 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

 

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Proposed legislation aims to outlaw drones in Missouri

February 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Drones are proving to be a polarizing topic with their growth in the public eye.

The rise of these flying, video-capturing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (or UAV’s) has excited some with the promise of overhead landscape views never before possible.

The domestic use of such vehicles has also been met with criticism and claims of privacy invasion, prompting several states to propose legislation to halt their use.

Missouri has joined the list, as State Rep. Casey Guernsey introduced and defended his proposed Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act at a House Agri-Business Committee hearing on Feb. 5.

The bill, which has yet to gain another hearing date, “prohibits the use of a drone or other unmanned aircraft to gather evidence or other information with specified exceptions.”

 

Click play for State Rep. Casey Guernsey’s introduction and explanation of his proposed bill (3:03)

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Click play for full questioning by the House Agri-Business Committee and supporting testimony from Steve Carroll of the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri (16:08)

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