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<br />3 <br /> <br />mapping results of aerial photography and airborne videography techniques on <br />the Green River, including cost and turnaround times. <br /> <br />METHODS <br /> <br />1986 Pilot Study <br /> <br />Three study sites were selected by Reclamation and FWS that were considered <br />important for backwater habitat: Split Mountain [rm 306-309.7], Ouray <br />(rm 254.8-257.8), and Willow Creek (rm 237.8-251). RM designations were <br />taken from Evans and Belknap's Dinosaur River guide (rm 0 at Green River, <br />Utah), Evans and Belknap's Desolation River Guide (rm 0 at Green River, <br />Utah), and Belknap and Belknap's Canyonlands River Guide (rm 0 at the <br />confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers). All rm designations were <br />adjusted to 0 from the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers. Study <br />site locations for each year are illustrated in figure 1. <br /> <br />Backwater numbers and area were examined at each site during three Green <br />River flows: 1,889, 3,119, and 4,359 ft3/s. When flows released from <br />Flaming Gorge Dam were stabilized, CIR aerial photography was obtained for <br />each site. Flows were measured at the Jensen Geological Survey (USGS) <br />gauge. Two photographic scales were acquired, 1:4,000 and 1:2,000, to <br />determine what scale would be adequate for backwater delineation. <br /> <br />Field trips were taken to familiarize the photointerpreter with backwater <br />delineation and to place panel markers at specified distances at each site <br />to verify and correct photographic scale. Aerial photographs were fitted <br />with mylar overlays upon which the river channel, backwaters, isolated <br />pools, sandbars, vegetated sandbars, and vegetated Islands were delineated. <br /> <br />The relatively large scale of the aerial photography would have made it <br />difficult to transfer the interpreted classes to a standard 1:24,000 scale <br />USGS quadrangle, as the integrity of the larger scale data base would have <br />been lost. Therefore, to maintain interpretation accuracy, pseudomap bases <br />of the same scale as the photography were created. Roads and other <br />prominent features were delineated on photographs and compared to USGS maps <br />to ensure photographic scale accuracy and provide a geographic reference. <br /> <br />Following transfer of photointerpretated data to pseudomap overlays, the <br />information was digitized into a GIS system utilizing Geographic Entry <br />System software. Digitization was done in vector format using a Calcomp <br />9000 digitizing tablet linked to a Tektronix 4014 display screen. Software <br />and peripherals were run by an HP 3000 Series III computer. Each study site <br />was approximately 7.5 by 7.5 min, making the internal resolution of the <br />computer 0.2 m. <br /> <br />1987 Study <br /> <br />Five study sites were selected by the Reclamation and FWS in areas known to <br />contain important backwater habitat for young-of-the-year Colorado squawfish <br />(figure 1). The Island Park site, just above Split Mountain in Dinosaur <br />