SMALL-FORMAT AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR ASSESSING CHANGE IN WETLAND VEGETATION: A CASE STUDY FROM CHEYENNE BOTTOMS, KANSAS

摘要

Cheyenne Bottoms is a Ramsar wetland site in central Kansas, where the Nature Conservancy (NC) has undertaken an effort since the mid-1990s to maintain and restore marsh and wet meadow habitat for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl. Small-format aerial photography was conducted using kites and a helium blimp in order to document changing water and vegetation conditions during the years 2002-2005. Pictures were taken with various film and digital cameras from heights of 100-150 m. Relatively low cost of operation and ease of use in the field allowed for repeated imagery throughout the growing seasons. Ancillary data included multi-year Landsat and Ikonos satellite imagery, field spectrometry, and ground observations. Small-format aerial photographs provided the necessary large scale (1:100 to 1:1000), high resolution (<10 cm), and multi-view angles to evaluate visually the consequences of NC management practices.