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RESEARCH

Areas of expertise at NRAC include:

GIS based planning and decision-making support
Watershed-based analysis and applications
Land cover mapping
Landscape analysis, wildlife modeling, recreation
Local, state, regional GIS data development
Natural resource management, energy issues, economic development
Economic development and environmental sustainability
Remote Sensing:
- Airborne and Terrestrial LiDAR
- Aerial photography
- Hyperspectral imaging

Research links:

Highlights of current and recent NRAC projects:

WVU RESEARCHERS ADVANCE AQUATIC PHYSICAL HABITAT MONITORING WITH DRONES

NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder

Researchers at West Virginia University are developing cutting-edge research methods using drone technology that could revolutionize the way resource managers monitor human land-use impacts on stream ecosystems.

Jason Hubbart, director of the Institute of Water Security and Science and professor of hydrology and water quality in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, and Paul Kinder, director of the Natural Resource Analysis Center, are using the technology to quantify stream physical habitat and bank erosion within the West Run Watershed in Monongalia County.

Link to Full Story

WVU RESEARCH FOREST PRESCRIBED BURN

NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder

In November 2020 the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design held a prescribed burn workshop at the WVU Research Forest. Students from Forest Management 311 participated to obtain valuable experience in using controlled burn techniques for forest management. With cooperation from the WV Division of Forestry, local volunteer fire departments received related training at the event. NRAC captured aerial photos and thermal imagery of the burn using a DJI Zenmuse XT2 dual sensor attached to a DJI Matrice 200 V2 drone. The thermal imagery is shown here, with black areas representing cold temperatures and white representing hot. The red and yellow areas are the hottest temperatures. Prescribed burn thermal imager

CLOVER RUN CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION FOR PATRIOTS 4 OUTDOOR RESORT

Project Support: WV Division of Natural Resources, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Natural Resource Analysis Center
NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder

The Patriots 4 Outdoor Resort is a non-profit organization in Tucker County WV that provides a place for wounded or disabled veterans to enjoy outdoor activities and trips. The resort is located along the Cheat River and Clover Run trout stream, and offers fishing, hunting, kayaking, hiking and more, with an emphasis on safety and accessibility. For over three years, the Natural Resource Analysis Center has provided technical guidance and monitoring related to conservation of Clover Run, including fish habitat restoration and handicapped trail design and construction. NRAC employed drone-based LiDAR technology as a powerful tool to help assess, plan, and document restoration activities.

Link to Full Story in WV Executive

UPPER SHAVERS FORK, WV, NATURAL STREAM AND FISH PASSAGE RESTORATION

Project Funding: WV Division of Natural Resources, WV Department of Environmental Protection, Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tygart Valley Conservation District

NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder

NRAC provides planning, technical, geospatial, and project management support to the WV DNR Stream Restoration Program and its many partners. The goals of this project are to holistically assess the fishery conditions of the Upper Shavers Fork watershed, plan for, and implement stream habitat and fish passage restoration primarily focusing on native brook trout population sustainability. Thus far, three important fish passage projects have been completed at Beaver Creek, Lamothe Hollow, and Oats Run. Between these fish passage projects, four miles of in-stream habitat restoration was completed by NRCS and Tygart Valley Conservation District.

SOUTHERN COALFIELDS LIDAR PROJECT

Project Funding: WV Department of Environmental Protection
NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder

The goal of the project was to provide the WV state government with high resolution airborne LiDAR data suitable for use by a wide array of industries and professionals. Selected products produced from these datasets include digital elevation models, canopy height models, hydraulic and hydrologic models, planimetric and contour mapping, as well as volume calculations for natural resource stockpiles. Other unique benefits of the data have been to geo-rectify and scale sub-surface mine maps, detect previously undocumented salt mine portals, and locate non-permitted ‘wildcat’ mines. Multiple-pulse airborne LiDAR was the preferred technology for this endeavor, as previous attempts with other methods were not able to penetrate the forest canopies. To date, NRAC has flown over 62,000 miles to collect 5,000,000+ acres within West Virginia, principally focused on the southern coalfields.

ALTERNATIVE FUTURES FOR THE MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL-VALLEY FILL MINING REGION OF WEST VIRGINIA

Project Funding: EPA
NRAC Project Contact: Michael Strager, Aaron Maxwell

This research is part of an ongoing effort to develop a technical tool to improve reliability of mine permitting decisions in the Central Appalachians, related to regional and watershed-scale impacts. The research quantifies mining thresholds as they relate to ecological impairment downstream. The data are incorprorated into a Geographic Information Systems based alternative futures modeling system, used to efficiently reach scientifically based management decisions. Additional project investigators: Todd Petty, Paul Ziemkiewicz.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SPATIALLY EXPLICIT SURFACE COAL MINING PREDICTIVE MODEL

Project Funding: The Nature Conservancy
NRAC Project Contact: Michael Strager, Jacquelyn Strager

The goal of this project is to create a spatially explicit model for the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative region predicting the future spatial extent of surface coal mining under alternative coal production scenarios through the year 2035. To accomplish this goal we combined GIS spatial analysis, a Random Forest predictive model, and econometric regression with the best available data.

CENTRAL WV GEOLOGIC STUDY, WEBSTER COUNTY, WV

Project Funding: Energy Corporation America
NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder
Project Web Page: Link to Central WV Geologic Study

The goal of this project is to perform detailed sub- surface analysis and mapping using 3D seismic data. Seismic attributes will be applied to enhance the visibility of critical structural features (faults, fractures, and folds) for better understanding the hydrocarbon system: migration pathway, trapping geometry, and sealing capacity. Airborne LiDAR is the best technology available to provide this data needed to perform this analysis.

DYKE MARSH WILDLIFE PRESERVE, WASHINGTON, DC

Project Funding: University of Maryland
NRAC Project Contact: Paul Kinder
Project Web Page: Remote Sensing Link

The goal of this project is to determine the vegetation structure and land area of the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve as the National Park Service looks to restore the marsh. Additionally, researchers will use this work to establish methods for utilizing LiDAR technologies to understand natural resources.

ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL ASSETS IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION: WATER RESOURCES, FOREST RESOURCES

Project Funding: Appalachian Regional Commission
NRAC Project Contact: Michael Strager, Jacquelyn Strager
Project Web Page: Final report (Water Resources) Link

NRAC participated in two extended assessments of natural resource based assets in the Appalachian Region: Water Resources and Forest Resources. Both projects involved a detailed inventory and analysis of natural resources across the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission. NRAC provided GIS data development, resource metric calculations, and development of a related decision support system for the two projects. Additional project cooperators include Downstream Strategies, the Regional Research Institute, the National Network of Forest Practitioners, the WV GIS Technical Center, theWVU Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.

GAP ANALYSIS OF BIODIVERSITY FOR WEST VIRGINIA

Project Funding: USGS
NRAC Project Contact: Jacquelyn Strager, Charles Yuill
Project Web Page: WV-GAP Land Cover DataLink

The West Virginia Gap Analysis Project, completed in 2001, was a collaborative effort between West Virginia University’s Natural Resource Analysis Center, the West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and the Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Survey. WV-GAP mapped the distribution of over 300 native vertebrate wildlife species in the state, based on an extensive wildlife-habitat relationship database, range maps, and land cover mapping. Final products include the wildlife distribution maps, land cover for WV, and an analysis of biodiversity protection “gaps” in the state. Contact J. Strager for final datasets, final report, and more information. A companion project was also completed by NRAC for the Central Appalachian states (WV, MD, PA, VA, DE, NJ).

DEVELOPMENT OF THE WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION AND MODELING SYSTEM (WCMS) AND CUMULATIVE HYDROLOGIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (CHIA) TOOLS

Project Funding: WV Department of Environmental Protection
NRAC Project Contact: Michael Strager
Project Web Page: WCMS Link

The development of the WCMS has been an ongoing effort at NRAC for many years. The Watershed Characterization and Modeling System (WCMS) Extension for ArcGIS was developed to bring spatial data and water quality modeling to the desktop of West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) personnel. The current version of WCMSprovides watershed and water quality modeling components for meeting common WVDEPtasks. WCMS combines a wide variety of spatial data layers with hydrological and water quality modeling concepts to aid in decision making and management of water resources.