BRIDGEWATER — Dynamic Aviation’s small airstrip was abuzz with the sound of propeller engines as two visiting planes prepared for some special flights on Tuesday afternoon.

SouthWings, an aviation nonprofit based in Asheville, N.C., invited members of regional environmental advocacy groups to fly over the Shenandoah Valley.

Taking a break from a Shenandoah Riverkeepers conference in Bridgewater, representatives from groups like the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, Nature Forward, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation boarded two small aircraft to get a new perspective on the local environment and the Shenandoah watershed.

The flight path took the advocates over known polluted sites in the central Shenandoah Valley, like the South River near Port Republic, which still has to contend with legacy mercury pollution from a Dupont factory near Waynesboro, and a mega-dairy near the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, from which nutrients enter the river and cause algae blooms.

The pilots also took their passengers over the Merck and Company Pharmaceutical chemical plant near Elkton, which operates the largest permitted pollution discharge into the Shenandoah River system, according to South Wings.

The plant expanded in 2022 to increase its production of HPV vaccines, according to Merck’s website. SouthWings’ flight plan instructed passengers to “look for a milky-white discharge in the middle of the main river channel.”

Bob Thomason, one of the volunteer pilots flying for SouthWings on Tuesday, said he had been flying these missions for about 20 years. As he got ready to take a handful of passengers in his Cessna Crusader aircraft, he said he provided everything needed for the flight.

He added that, while it was difficult to fly at the low altitudes, SouthWings needs to get better views of landscapes from Pennsylvania to Texas. Thomason said he had seen incredible things flying for the nonprofit in his time.

“I’ve flown over mountain top removal sites in North Carolina,” Thomason said. “I flew over a coal ash pond in West Virginia where a worker had been killed. He was riding a bulldozer on this big mound of ash, and the whole thing gave way. He and his bulldozer went into the pond. These sites are dangerous to the workers, too. That’s something you have to keep in mind.”

Another sight that Thomason said stuck with him was how housing developments encroach on wild lands. However, he added that SouthWings’ ability to connect with people in positions of power gave him hope.

Renee Grebe traveled from Washington to attend the conference with her colleagues from Nature Forward – formerly known as the Audubon Naturalist Society. Grebe, an author and advocate who writes for the legacy advocacy organization, hoped to learn more about how people interact with nature.

“I’m looking for a new perspective on land use,” Grebe explained. “We’re from an urban area, so this is all new for me.”

Brian Creed flew his Cessna Skylane from Orange to Bridgewater to help his passengers see the Shenandoah watershed from above. A pilot for SouthWings since 2018, Creed said the nonprofit is a good way to build up flight hours while also giving back to the community.

“Since being with SouthWings, most of my flying has been to the Chesapeake area,” Creed said. “So, being able to fly low and being able to see the shipbuilding facilities. You get a different perspective of the rivers and the tributaries in the area. When you’re much higher up, you can see how everything meshes together.”

Annabelle Harvey, a federal policy coordinator with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said she hoped to take in the sights while in the air.

“I’m just looking forward to getting up and seeing Shenandoah from the sky,” Harvey said.

Laura Early, SouthWings’ eastern program director, said she was grateful to Dynamic Aviation for allowing the nonprofit to fly out of Bridgewater for the afternoon.

“This is mostly an educational flight,” Early said. “SouthWings does a variety of different flights, but these flights are more to get an overview of the flight process as a tool for environmental organizations. It’s mostly about the experience and figuring out how [environmental organizations] can integrate this tool into their own work.”

Kara Zirkle, Dynamic’s human resources and community engagement coordinator, said they were happy to host SouthWings and support a cause Dynamic is passionate about.

“We do a lot of environmental contracts, as well,” Zirkle said. “Oil spill response, fire management. It really did align with a lot of the environmental things we do, as well.”