The Value of a New Perspective: Spotting Scotch Broom by Drone at Little Skookum Inlet Preserve

How Capitol Land Trust’s stewardship team is using aerial imagery to enhance monitoring of our protected lands and waters

High above the forested shoreline of Puget Sound’s Little Skookum Inlet, a small drone hums as it surveys the landscape, its camera searching for patches of yellow blooming in the clearing below. Down on the ground, Stewardship Manager Matt Faller monitors the live feed on a handheld screen, making minor adjustments to the drone’s flight path as he scans for the few remnants of Scotch broom that persist across this 66-acre preserve.

A Small Place Supporting Big Biodiversity

Conserved by Capitol Land Trust in 2025, Little Skookum Inlet Preserve protects forest, wetlands, and shoreline along a narrow tidal waterway that connects the Skookum Creek estuary to Totten Inlet and the broader Puget Sound. This year marks the first season of annual monitoring since the property’s baseline survey last year.

Despite its comparatively small size, the site boasts a wide range of habitats including 3,200 feet of marine shoreline, 1,900 feet of fish-bearing stream, and 6.3 acres of freshwater and marine wetlands. This diverse aquatic ecosystem supports many fish including several species of salmon, whose offspring rely on the safety of the preserve’s pocket estuary.

The property’s forests range from young stands harvested as recently as 2019 — where the Scotch broom attempts to encroach — to 80-year-old shoreline and streamside forests that shelter pollinators, birds, and land mammals such as deer, coyotes, and fox. Douglas fir, western redcedar, western hemlock, red alder, bigleaf maple, and madrone make up the forest’s canopy, while an understory of ferns, salal, huckleberry, Oregon grape, vine maple, and trailing blackberry grow underneath.

The Goal is Not Complete Control, It is Fostering Resilience

In the short-term, complete eradication of the invasive plants that compete with native species isn’t the goal of CLT’s stewardship efforts, nor is it realistic. Part of what makes Scotch broom so highly invasive is that its seeds can lie dormant in the soil for years before sprouting, and a single plant may produce thousands of seeds each year.

Instead, the goal is to give nature an opportunity to restore itself by implementing strategies that reflect a deeper understanding of how species interact within the landscape over time. With the help of volunteers, our stewardship team has been thinning Scotch broom and replanting Douglas fir trees in key areas. As these trees continue to grow, the sun-loving Scotch broom will eventually lose its advantage.

“It’s unfeasible to quickly eradicate Scotch broom from here completely,” explains Public Access Manager Logan Butler. “But if we can reduce competition by pulling it where we can, native plants will have more time to eventually shade it out.”

This long-term approach to stewardship recognizes the inherent resilience of nature to thrive when provided the right conditions. Given enough time and a head start through strategic restoration, the diverse native plant species already growing at the preserve will have a chance to fully reestablish themselves and crowd out the Scotch broom for good.

Eyes in the Sky: How Technology Enhances Efforts on the Ground

Until that time comes, the stewardship team will continue monitoring for remaining Scotch broom, using that information to more precisely target future restoration efforts. This is where drone technology comes in.

Drones allow our team to cover more ground with the time they have and detect problems before they spread. This year’s aerial imagery will be compared with past surveys to create a more complete understanding of how the site is changing across time and seasons. And all of it is being achieved without having to walk more than a few footsteps.

“Inherently, when we monitor a site, it can have an impact,” Faller says. For instance, new growth might be trampled underfoot or invasive seeds might be unintentionally carried to new areas.

“The drone is not a tool to replace everything,” he explains, “but rather to enhance other on-the-ground monitoring techniques.”

From the air, the team can spot patches of Scotch broom between the foliage and map where it’s spreading or retreating without having to set foot in sensitive areas.

“Besides,” Faller adds, “there is nothing more valuable than a new perspective.”

Your Help Makes Protection of Places Like This Possible

The ongoing conservation and stewardship of the diverse habitats at places like Little Skookum Inlet Preserve is only possible through community support. Consider donating today to help conserve the lands and waters that keep South Puget Sound healthy and thriving.