Fort Collins Science Center hosts the Third Annual Big Rivers Data Integration Workshop
By Fort Collins Science Center
January 13, 2025
The Fort Collins Science Center hosted the Third Annual Big Rivers Data Integration Workshop December 4–5 combining efforts by scientists at FORT, Colorado State University, and the NPS Northern Colorado Plateau Network to integrate ecological and hydrologic data on the Green River, Utah.
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These data are being used to guide NPS management of land along the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park as well as by DOI Managers to assess dam management alternatives for responding to drought in the Colorado River Basin. FORT scientists organizing and attending the meeting were Chris Holmquist-Johnson, Jonathan Friedman, Elizabeth Skaggs, and Kyle Enns.
Current and future research being conducted by the team focuses on (a) development of integrated models of changes in riparian vegetation, channel change, hydraulics and sediment dynamics; and (b) decision-support tools to make complex, multivariate model output more available to decision makers. Data collection includes modification of traditional sampling approaches, including plot sampling of vegetation and calibration of hydraulic models, as well as development of new approaches for expanding spatial scales (uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), LiDAR, and satellite imagery) and temporal scales (isotopes of riparian tree rings).