River Channel Movement
Over the last eight decades, the river channels near the Nature Conservancy’s Iron Bridge preserve have varied across the floodplain.
Gila River Dynamics
We have documented 80 years of landscape change in a hydrologically connected river-floodplain system by delineating land cover on aerial imagery. The classified images support research and help engage people in discussions about the history and future of the Gila River.
Play Video
The Gila River is one of the Southwest's last remaining free-flowing rivers. The dynamic nature of the river channels creates a mosaic of riparian and woodland habitat for many species. It's also beautiful solitude for human communities that call the watershed home.
Woodland Regeneration
Since the 1970’s there has been an increase in riparian forest cover throughout much of the floodplain.
Land-use Changes
There have been a number of land-use changes on the Gila floodplain over the last eighty years. For example, the red dots represent an increase in buildings from 1935 (on the left) to 2016 (on the right).
Funding This material is based upon work supported in part by the Rural Futures Institute of the University of Nebraska and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (OIA 1833020). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.