Project Number: 5409-22610-001-09
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Sep 15, 2005
End Date: Sep 14, 2010

Objective:
1. Demonstrate the cost efficiency and applicability of aerial surveys for resource management. 2. Collect monitoring data critical to effective management of rangelands. 3. Develop a database for prioritizing future monitoring efforts and/or changes in resource management. 4. Lay the foundation for long-term improvements in resource monitoring efficiency and effective data application.

Approach:
The principle purpose of this project is to test the efficacy of monitoring vegetative communities on public lands through the collection of low-level aerial photography using a sport airplane. The photographs will be analyzed, and measurements made of percent bare ground, vegetative (lifeform¿ie. shrub, forb, grass) cover classes, plant densities and other species level data as can be extracted from the imagery. If successful, this form of vegetation monitoring will allow BLM to determine ecological condition, to track changes over time, and to validate information at current monitoring locations on the ground. This technique allows for the capture and archiving of high resolution imagery over a large geographic area in a very short time interval. The rapid nature of the data collection will allow for off-season analysis and for additional ground-truthing to further validate the aerial flight data. This process is expected to improve the precision, efficiency, repeatability, and cost effectiveness of resource monitoring data.