Railroad Ranch, Henrys Fork, Idaho
MVF has been providing aerial imagery and analysis for the Henrys Fork Foundation’s (HFF) Caldera Project in Eastern Idaho since June of 2009. The Caldera Project is a comprehensive baseline and resource management evaluation effort involving Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Using custom balloon aerial photography techniques, MVF has captured thousands of high resolution (<10cm) orthogonal images of the Ranch, the Caldera Project’s research focus area. The aerial imagery was georeferenced, mosaiced and reclassified using a copy of ArcGIS from the Colorado College GIS lab (where Carson McMurray is a student). The mosaics produced through these techniques are the first of their kind for this area and the high spatial resolution captured by a camera suspended beneath a low-flying balloon allows the distribution of sediment and macrophytes to be mapped and quantified. This work has established the most detailed environmental baseline of the river to date and provides valuable visual information to complement ongoing macrophyte and geomorphological surveying. Our partners in this project include the Henrys Fork Foundation, Lighthawk Foundation, Idaho Fish and Game and US Forest Service.

In addition to balloon-based orthogonal photography, MVF has compiled, through granted flights from our partner, the Lighthawk Foundation, an online database of thousands of oblique photos covering the entire stretch of the Henrys Fork. These oblique photos are a key part of the comprehensive environmental baselining of the Henrys Fork. The small aircraft provided an ideal vantage point from which to capture both key elements of the river ecosystem and the surrounding environment. The online photobank is a publicly available resource providing visual information for everyone who cares about the Henrys Fork.

Colorado River Delta, Baja, Mexico

Spread across the northernmost end of the Gulf of California, the Colorado River delta’s vast riparian, freshwater, brackish, and tidal wetlands once covered 1,930,000 acres (7,810 km²) and supported a large population of plant, bird, and marine life.Spread across the northernmost end of the Gulf of California, the Colorado River delta’s vast riparian, freshwater, brackish, and tidal wetlands once covered 1,930,000 acres (7,810 km²) and supported a large population of plant, bird, and marine life. The loss of freshwater flows to the delta in the last 100 years have reduced delta wetlands to a mere 5% of their original extent and nonnative species have compromised the health of the entire ecosystem.
Working with partners, the Sonoran Institute and Mexicali-based Aeurhyc A.C., Marine Ventues is seeking to restore the water flows to the Delta to help rebuild native plant species, provide habitat for the 350 species of birds that once used the delta during annual migrations and support local community education and involvement in the project.

Chub Cay, Berry Islands, Bahamas
The vibrant and productive marine ecosystems which shape the Islands of the Bahamas and their culture are being increasingly threatened with destruction in the name of beachfront resorts. MVF is building a photographic baseline of the shallow water environment surrounding Chub Cay to document the island’s natural state before the impacts of development are felt. Records of unaffected ecosystems are vital for communicating the environmental degradation caused by commercial development. Without sufficient demonstration of these true costs associated with resorts, it will be impossible to stop future development. Below are some examples of MVFs ongoing work around Chub. Links to http://www.restrictbiminibayresort.org/