Remote Sensing Laboratories Aid WRP Monitoring

In FY 2007, the three NRCS Remote Sensing Laboratories (RSLs) will begin a new service to agency State and field staff — aerial photo interpretation for monitoring Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) easements.  In this first year, they will tackle 3,207 easements from 17 States — about one-third of the total number of easements nationwide.

The WRP imagery is being acquired under the USDA Small Area Photography Contract, which is also the source of National Resources Inventory (NRI) imagery.  To date, about 40 percent of the 8,200 WRP aerial photos needed for 2007 have been delivered by the contractors to the National Cartography and Geospatial Center.  [The contractors have the option to collect the WRP photos this spring or during the NRI photo periods in the summer].

RSLs will deliver to the State staff a digital image with the identified feature information. This use of remote sensing and RSL services is a major step in streamlining WRP monitoring activities. Ultimately, this new process is expected to —
● increase the number of easements that NRCS can review annually,
● reduce onsite visit time by about 30 percent and thereby free up enough time to monitor all WRP easements annually, and
● reduce easement monitoring costs, e.g., reduce technical assistance costs associated detailed hydrologic and vegetative monitoring.

The goal for FY 2008 is to secure imagery for 5,000 easements.  The photography will also be used to pilot test remote sensing techniques for monitoring hydrologic and vegetative changes.
Your contact is Jerry Harlow, NRCS Resources Inventory and Assessment Division NRI Data Collection Leader, at 301-504-2328.