Abstract
Effects of Urbanization on Wetland Spatial Distribution in New Hampshire Track: Environmental Management Author(s): Katie Jacques, Russell Congalton, Kimberly Babbitt New Hampshire is witnessing a period of sustained and accelerated population growth. Most of this growth is centered in urban areas, yet rural communities are undergoing dramatic changes both in numbers of people and in landscape composition. As more new developments are crammed into what little open space cities and towns have, ecological resources are taking a backseat. One resource in particular is wetlands. Threats to wetlands are becoming more evident with dredging and filling, developing, and draining for expanding roadways, housing, and commercial industry. An urban-rural gradient analysis was conducted to observe and document how urbanization is affecting the size and distribution of wetlands. Geoprocessing tools and manual photointerpretation were used to identify wetlands on digital orthophotos and compared to hydrology and National Wetlands Inventory data. This paper will present the findings from this study. Katie Jacques Microdesk IT 460 Totten Pond Rd Waltham , MA 02145 US Phone: 18003363375 E-mail: kjacques@microdesk.com Russell Congalton University of New Hampshire Natural Resources 217 James Hall Durham , NH 03824 US Phone: 603-862-4644 E-mail: russ.congalton@unh.edu Kimberly Babbitt University of New Hampshire Natural Resources 206 Nesmith Hall Durham , NH 03824 US Phone: (603) 862-4287 E-mail: kbabbitt@cisunix.unh.edu |
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