This project will partially support a PhD student at South Dakota State University (SDSU) advised by a diverse partnership engaged in wetlands conservation in SD (e.g., USFWS, SDGFP, NRCS, PPJV, NGOs). It will use recent advancements in remote sensing technology and analytical frameworks to identify the location and type of drained wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of eastern South Dakota. There will be multiple practical uses of these data, with the following hierarchical objectives, which may be expanded as resources allow: 1) quantify, spatially delineate, and classify drained wetland basins in eastern South Dakota and compile them in a format useable by habitat delivery constituents (e.g., USFWS, USDA-NRCS, SDGFP); 2) quantify spatial trends of loss by wetland class; 3) use these data to model ecosystem services such as flood and nutrient reduction and retention with respect to conservation scenarios; and 4) model biological outcomes of wetland restoration scenarios and contribution toward PPJV objectives. The $17,000 SA investment supports conservation priorities for the Grassland Ecosystem. This project is matched by $17K from Refuges I&M program plus at least $72K from the SD partners.
