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Scientist at the University of Idaho are using Landsat data to save endangered birds.

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We took freely available Landsat imagery, and\h
we developed this range-wide model that covers\h\h

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a vast spatial extent and a really wide temporal\h
window. To develop these fine scale maps of\h\h

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habitat suitability, for an endangered species\h
in an environment that's changing all the time.

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Technology Meets Conservation: Mapping Habitat for Endangered Species

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So I'm a research biologist, slash project manager\h
for the University of Idaho, and i work on this\h\h

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endangered Ridgway's Rail in the southwestern\h
United States. It's a species that needs\h\h

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attention. It is an indicator species of marsh\h
condition throughout the whole Colorado river\h\h

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system. I know they're a marsh bird.
They're they're like the size of a chicken,\h\h

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but they're high up the food\h
chain in these marshes. And so\h\h

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if Rails are doing well it's indicative of a\h
healthy system. So if we can develop products that\h\h

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help us manage marshes for the Rails, it's also\h
going to help protect habitats for other species.\h\h

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In 2020, Harrity and coauthors published a research paper discussing the habitat suitability models.

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And we are really focusing on, okay how\h
do we take effective tools and apply them\h\h

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in space and time to maximize their benefit to\h
the species? So we paired this spatially extensive\h\h

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on-the-ground sampling data, with really extensive\h
satellite imagery, to develop range-wide habitat\h\h

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suitability models, that can inform management\h
actions throughout the range of this species.

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Harrity turned to Landsat for the satellite imagery he needed.

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We needed a product that was accessible,\h
available, covered our area of interest,\h\h

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and our time frame of interest, and\h
Landsat really fit that perfectly for us.

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And with this Landsat data, the Yuma Ridgway's Rail suitability model was born

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And we built this tool that\h
is accessible to managers,\h\h

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and they can view it, and it's\h
updated annually so they'll have\h\h

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up-to-date predictions of habitat suitability\h
throughout the entire range of the species. So\h\h

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they can really focus in on the areas that\h
need management, that don't need management,\h\h

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that perhaps need on the ground confirmation. It\h
should be a powerful tool to more effectively\h\h

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and efficiently allocate limited resources, to\h
ideally one day get the species fully recovered!