Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), also known as drones, offer a lower cost, less invasive alternative to traditional ground-based monitoring while providing higher resolution images than satellite imagery. “Drone the NERRS,” a science transfer project, evaluated the efficacy of a standardized UAS wetland monitoring protocol for assessing and monitoring emergent vegetation in a range of biogeographic regions across the NERRS.

The project lowered barriers to UAS-based monitoring, supported the development of a community of practice, and encouraged UAS pilot certification for more reserve staff. Applying the protocol across different experience levels, airframes, and software used for mission planning and analysis yielded unique experiences for staff at each participating reserve. These experiences enabled staff to provide feedback on the protocol while also informing other reserves interested in using UAS. In this webinar, the project team will share about their experience growing a System-wide UAS community of practice, as well as project outcomes and lessons learned.

Speakers:

Megan Lamb, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Megan is the Research Coordinator and Assistant Manager at the Apalachicola NERR. Her career at the reserve has spanned the research and stewardship sectors and has focused on a variety of projects including water quality, biological communities, threatened species, habitat monitoring, and more. Megan has held a UAS pilot’s license for three years and served as the Collaborative Lead for this project.

Jared Franklin, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Jared is the Stewardship Coordinator at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. He is responsible for overseeing the management of natural and cultural resources within Rookery Bay NERR, including invasive species control, prescribed fire, listed species management, and hydrological restoration.  Jared served as the PI for Drone the NERRs from 2024 onwards.