Capstone Statement: Determine whether significant decline in wetland acreage has occured over the past 20-30 years in the state of Conneticut; and if so, what particular trends regarding existing land use/land cover have become apparent.
Description: We have in our possession, via aerial photography and ground truth surveying, the original land cover/land use data for the state of Conneticut from the early 1970s as well as current updated land cover/ land use data (obtained in the late 1990s). The available data, is in the form of representative plots selected randomly in 4 square mile parcels. We intend to use these plots to determine whether wetland loss has actually occured over the past 20-30 years, and if so, are the current land cover/land use conditions resulting from any apparent local or statewide trends (such as agricultural expansion and development, urban sprawl, etc.).