Wildsight Creston Valley Branch, in collaboration with Above Sensing Ltd., launched a pilot project to study wildlife movement patterns and the condition of riparian habitats within the Creston Valley.
The Creston Valley is one of British Columbia's most ecologically significant landscapes. Its floodplains, wetlands, and adjacent upland forests provide connected habitat for numerous species, including grizzly bears, elk, kokanee, frogs, and several at-risk bird species. Maintaining connectivity between these habitats is essential to supporting healthy wildlife populations.
To better understand this landscape the pilot project was looking into a drone-based remote sensing workflow for riparian habitat mapping. High-resolution aerial imagery was collected and processed to identify and focus on two key landscape features:
- Cottonwood stands, which provide important riparian habitat and wildlife value.
- Fencing and other linear anthropogenic barriers, which may influence wildlife movement and habitat connectivity.
