December 8, 2010 Jennifer Jenkins., Title: Status and trends of wetlands habitats in the Greater Fairbanks area, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Status and trends of wetlands habitats in the Greater Fairbanks area

Authors: Jennifer L. Jenkins, Robert J. Henszey and Philip D. Martin

As Fairbanks and surrounding communities grow, there is increasing need for agencies and private organizations to have access to current information regarding status and distribution of wetland habitats. This knowledge will aid in advanced planning of community developments and placement of infrastructure. Furthermore, current information on wetlands is needed by agencies that regulate activities within wetlands and also by agencies that ensure adequate mitigation and compensation for wetland impacts. This study used remotely sensed images from 2002-2003 and 2007 to identify 31 land cover types (wetland and upland habitats) in the Greater Fairbanks area as of summer 2007. Trends in wetland loss / or gain were quantified by comparing imagery acquired in 1949-1950 to imagery from 2007.