Digital Airborne Survey of Mountain Goat Population in Southeast Alaska

In southeast Alaska mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are a key indicator species for managed recreation areas. The population and behavior of goats in a managed recreation areas can be used for predicting the response of other species with similar habitat and range requirements. Accurately and consistently recording goat populations on inhospitable terrain is at best a challenging exercise for the wildlife biologist.

Standard aerial survey methods for mountain goats have limitations due to weather, time-of-day, time-of-year, and safety concerns. Aerial survey methods require a low altitude, slow-flying aircraft and multiple-pass visual count by a wildlife biologist. Mountain goat population survey work is also a very cumbersome and time-consuming on-the-ground effort. Field surveys also have safety concerns that range from exposure, risks posed by steep terrain, and potential bear threats. This report discusses results and recommendations from a 2007 Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture and Alaska Department of Fish and Game collaborative study that implemented the concurrent collection of thermal infrared and multispectral vertical airborne imagery for a mountain goat population survey. Thermal infrared and multispectral digital imagery supplemented with IMU and ABGPS have the potential to provide valuable image-based analysis information and a record of mountain goat numbers for a given time and location.