Snake River Remote Sensing

The Snake River is a dynamic riverscape with geomorphic processes that have been impacted by watershed development. The headwaters originate in Yellowstone National Park before entering Jackson Lake, a natural lake that has been impounded further to provide flood control and irrigation to downstream communities. From Jackson Lake, the Snake River flows through Grand Teton National Park through a series of single-threaded confined reaches and multi-threaded unconfined reaches. From the National Park boundary downstream for 30 miles, levees have been constructed to contain lateral migration and provide flood protection for adjacent properties.

River Design Group was retained by Trout Unlimited to complete an assessment and prepare a restoration design for a bank along the Snake River located on the Lower Snake River Ranch south of Jackson, Wyoming. The purpose of the project is to address stability and habitat conditions along the margin of the Snake River braidplain using techniques and construction materials that support natural processes and are appropriate for the geomorphic setting. Remote sensing was utilized to analyze geomorphic trends in channel planform, and an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) was used to collect an orthophoto for the site using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry.