Illinois Raptor Center in Decatur initially thought he`d use the group`s unmanned aerial vehicle to do some scouting work up in the trees when returning baby birds of prey to the nest. The idea was to use the camera on the small remote-controlled vehicle to get a quick look into the nest to see if there were any other chicks. Once they saw into the nest, they`d leave the area as quickly as possible so they wouldn`t disturb any adult birds.

Since has discovered a host of other uses for the aerial vehicle, such as monitoring the spread of invasive species on land and water and doing educational videos. There are lots of other uses that haven`t been discovered. The Master Naturalist program is operated by the University of Illinois Extension of Logan, Menard and Sangamon counties. It`s designed to provide science-based educational opportunities that connect people with nature and help them become better environmental stewards.

The two aerial vehicles on display at summit were quadcopters, which means they had four small propellers. One was about 18 inches long, and the second was a little larger. Both had cameras slung underneath them and could be controlled via remote.