Remote Sensing Technologies Applied to Eradication Efforts of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Abstract

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an aquatic invasive plant found throughout the United States. The US Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force estimates that the management cost and lost forage value attributable to purple loosestrife is approximately $45 million per year, contributing significantly to the total annual impact of the invasive species problem in the US, which itself is estimated to be $100-200 billion. This project provides a qualitative evaluation of the effectiveness of remote sensing technologies and habitat suitability modeling in purple loosestrife management decision making. This work focuses on the southeast region of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. I teamed with NASA scientists and natural resource managers with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission to gather presence/absence data for selected study sites in the study area. NASA's Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) was then used to create habitat suitability maps for purple loosestrife in the selected areas. ISFS is a recently developed tool for regional habitat suitability modeling and decision support. The system uses NASA Earth observational data, environmental predictors, and stepwise logistical regression modeling techniques to produce habitat suitability maps for species of interest. Maps such as these have been shown to be helpful in a wide range of resource management decision processes. The ISFS technology and the habitat suitability maps it produces are evaluated in comparison to existing tools used by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in their eradication planning and management decision making. The project introduces NASA technologies and NASA Earth observations into new applications within the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission and lays the foundation for broader use of this approach in other state and federal agencies dealing with purple loosestrife. Perhaps most important, the project contributes to efforts to restore and maintain the ecological health of the Great Lakes.