They are the "eyes in the sky" for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Their passion for flying is not in a commercial aircraft at 30,000 feet, jetting from one location to another, but in a single engine Cessna at a low altitude watching over our state's natural resources.

They are Bill Green and Kevin Jacobs at Roscommon, Dean Minett at Newberry, Gordon Zuehlke at Escanaba and Neil Harri at Houghton/Hancock.

These dedicated pilots make up the DNR's air operations program, which is strategically located in the Northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula. Their primary mission is fire detection.

"The DNR began replacing fire towers with fire detection aircraft in the 1960s because aircraft proved to have a great advantage," said Bill Green, who has flown for the DNR since the mid-1980s and has been the department's lead pilot for the past 15 years. "Not only could planes cover a much larger area, the pilots also could give a more accurate location of the fire and provide other valuable information to on-the-ground forces."

On days when the fire danger in northern Michigan is rated High or Extreme, the DNR pilots depart from their airports to scan the skies for smoke from a wildfire that has not yet been reported. When a fire is sighted, the pilot contacts a dispatch center with coordinates. Firefighters then are dispatched with the intent of suppressing it before it grows into a major fire.

"The pilot also can report the fire size, type of vegetation burning and structures that could be in danger; information that is valuable in determining which methods of fire suppression can be deployed," Green said.

But Green said the pilot also provides a safety net for firefighters, law enforcement officials performing evacuations and the general public by relaying important information during fire operations.

"We continue to communicate with the ground forces until the wildfire is contained," Green said. "The pilot is in the best position to keep everyone safe."

Another part of the job is to assist in various wildlife surveys conducted by the DNR or by universities that are under contract to do this important research.

"The bald eagle surveys start early in the spring and continue into summer," said Kevin Jacobs. "These flights involve hundreds of hours of low level flying, which is very demanding."

During the first phase of this mission, DNR pilots and observers will fly to more than 600 locations, checking to see if nests are occupied by eagles. Once the initial flight confirms which nests are active, the flight pattern is repeated a month later to count the number of eaglets in the nest. This information then is relayed to an eagle banding crew who decides which nest to visit.

"On this same flight, we'll fly over all known osprey nests," Jacobs said, "and later in the summer, we'll use the same procedures to count the osprey chicks."

In winter, the pilots take part in counting the state's moose and elk herds. Flying over remote terrain at approximately 500 feet, more than 5,000 miles of low-level grids are flown to complete each population count.

The DNR aircraft also assist in tracking moose, wolves, elk, deer, bear and other wildlife that have been fitted with radio collars. A plane in the air can detect the radio-collar transmissions over much greater distances.

Another advantage, according to Dean Minett, is that the animals can be tracked over private land as well as public land from the air.

"We can complete an aerial survey in just a few hours as opposed to it taking several days if accomplished from the ground," Minett said.

The pilots assist the DNR Law Enforcement Division as well, flying missions for search and rescue, off-road vehicle surveillance and night shining patrols.

All of the DNR pilots have participated in a search-and-rescue mission, which can happen at any time of the day during any season.

"We're able to quickly respond to remote areas to search for lost hunters or hikers and injured individuals," said Neil Harri. "Lost hunters who are able to build a survival fire at night can be spotted for several miles from our aircraft."

Once the lost are found, the pilots can provide the easiest route for the responding rescue units, saving valuable minutes that can be the difference between life and death.

"Search-and-rescue flights are very rewarding because you know you have helped find a lost child or removed someone from freezing temperatures before they're seriously injured," added Green. On occasion, the DNR pilots also are called in to help the Michigan State Police or the county sheriff apprehend an escaped convict or fleeing criminal.

In response to complaints that off-road vehicles are illegally operating in ecologically sensitive areas, the DNR pilots will be called in to assist conservation officers on the ground.

"If the offending ORV operator attempts to escape, we can follow in our aircraft and provide information to help the officer locate and apprehend the subject," Jacobs said. "It's a good feeling when we get to blend our passion for aviation with natural resource protection. It makes the job extremely rewarding and enjoyable."

In the fall, the DNR pilots will fly several missions to look for people using spotlights to illegally locate wild game. Areas covered on these types of patrols far exceed what a few conservation officers could accomplish without aircraft assistance.

"These missions normally are flown very late at night at an altitude near 5,000 feet," said Gordon Zuehlke. "At that altitude, we can see a normal spotlight from 25 miles away."

When a "shiner" is spotted, Zuehlke and the other pilots will relay the location of the vehicle to the nearest conservation officer.

Whether looking for smoke, following a bear or helping rescue a lost hunter, this team of dedicated pilots stands ready to fly on a moment's notice to help the DNR achieve its conservation mission.