Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
In Person or Zoom Presentation
Virtual via Zoom
Campus
Prescott
Status
Faculty
Faculty/Staff Department
Applied Aviation Sciences
Presentation Description/Abstract
The establishment of Verde River Headwaters State Park in Chino Valley, Arizona, marks a significant conservation milestone with the acquisition of 734 acres of the historic Del Rio Springs Ranch by the Trust for Public Land in March 2024. Now under the stewardship of Arizona State Parks & Trails (ASPT), this site encompasses Sullivan Lake, Del Rio Springs, critical riparian habitats, and historically significant landmarks including the 1863 Arizona territorial capital and 1920s Fred Harvey Farm structures. This initiative yields substantial benefits, including annual water savings within the Prescott Active Management Area, the extension of the Peavine National Recreation Trail, and ecosystem restoration.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has partnered with ASPT to employ advanced remote sensing technology to advance environmental monitoring. Preliminary analysis of 2018 airborne LiDAR acquisitions over approximately 400 acres have generated precise datasets on vegetation height, streamline delineation, and topography, informing park planning, hydrological modeling, and vegetation structure assessment.
Future efforts will integrate Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)-based LiDAR and multispectral imagery as well as radar observations from NASA and ISRO’s newly launched NISAR satellite, and onsite ecological assessments, including xylem flux measurements on mature riparian trees. This rigorous and interdisciplinary collaboration comprising ERAU faculty and students, ASPT representatives, experts from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and ecological and UAS expertise, aims to develop a robust, scalable basis for surface water management and ecosystem analysis. Additionally, planned cross-platform comparisons will provide the science team with sensor tradeoffs and enhance the validation and accuracy of existing and future remote sensing systems and products.
Keywords
Verde River, Remote Sensing, LiDAR, Radar, NISAR, Surface Water, Vegetation Structure, Conservation
Included in
Earth Sciences Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Sustainability Commons, Water Resource Management Commons
Advancing Environmental Monitoring at Verde River Headwaters State Park through Integrated Remote Sensing Technologies
The establishment of Verde River Headwaters State Park in Chino Valley, Arizona, marks a significant conservation milestone with the acquisition of 734 acres of the historic Del Rio Springs Ranch by the Trust for Public Land in March 2024. Now under the stewardship of Arizona State Parks & Trails (ASPT), this site encompasses Sullivan Lake, Del Rio Springs, critical riparian habitats, and historically significant landmarks including the 1863 Arizona territorial capital and 1920s Fred Harvey Farm structures. This initiative yields substantial benefits, including annual water savings within the Prescott Active Management Area, the extension of the Peavine National Recreation Trail, and ecosystem restoration.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has partnered with ASPT to employ advanced remote sensing technology to advance environmental monitoring. Preliminary analysis of 2018 airborne LiDAR acquisitions over approximately 400 acres have generated precise datasets on vegetation height, streamline delineation, and topography, informing park planning, hydrological modeling, and vegetation structure assessment.
Future efforts will integrate Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)-based LiDAR and multispectral imagery as well as radar observations from NASA and ISRO’s newly launched NISAR satellite, and onsite ecological assessments, including xylem flux measurements on mature riparian trees. This rigorous and interdisciplinary collaboration comprising ERAU faculty and students, ASPT representatives, experts from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and ecological and UAS expertise, aims to develop a robust, scalable basis for surface water management and ecosystem analysis. Additionally, planned cross-platform comparisons will provide the science team with sensor tradeoffs and enhance the validation and accuracy of existing and future remote sensing systems and products.
Comments
Verde River Headwaters State Park: https://www.tpl.org/our-work/verde-river-headwaters-state-park
NISAR: https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/