Using Remote Sensing as a MEans to Track the Spread and Eradication of Leafy Spurge

Using Remote Sensing as a Means to Track the Spread and Eradication of Leafy Spurge By Dereck Stonefish and Gary Halvorson Sitting Bull College Through remote sensing data we can visualize the effectiveness of flea beetles (Aphthona nigriscutis and A. lacertosa) on the diminishment of leafy spurge(Euphorbia esula), and discover methods of locating remote patches of this noxious weed. The outcomes of this project are to complete a profile for GIS (Global Information Systems) in reaching remote areas that are not easily accessible by foot to explore. Identifying areas that are currently accessible and using GPS (Global Positioning Systems) to plot and track these areas, it is possible to build a profile which will be useful in treating leafy spurge properly and effectively. The use of high resolution satellite imagery is extremely effective in this project, providing the imagery is taken at the end of the spring season because this is when the reflectivity of leafy spurge may be identified without difficulty. Using GPS in combination with GIS to ground truth and collect data, (such as transects) of areas effected by leafy spurge, will give solid evidence of what area contains once it is found in a location using updated satellite imagery. Long term applications may be implemented using these same techniques if they are proven useful in a given area such as the area that is being studied in this project.