Dewberry has been selected by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct 1,211 square miles of lidar surveys covering a large portion of the Everglades National Park in southern Florida. High-density topobathymetric lidar and ground survey data will be collected for the project, enabling elevation modeling within both terrestrial and submerged environments. The data will assist the USGS and the National Park Service (NPS) in environmental management of the park, including initiatives to address sea level rise. The data resulting from this project will help increase the predictive capability of hydrologic models and improve understanding of the park’s diverse habitats and drainage characteristics.
According to Keith Patterson, Dewberry’s project manager, “the project will also support a scientific study underway to model marl prairie habitat for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, an endangered non-migratory songbird that resides solely in the Everglades.” Placed on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species List in 1967, the species continues to be threatened by sea level rise and reduced freshwater flows.
