Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge pre-restoration orthoimagery and elevation products, spring 2025

The products presented here document conditions at the Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri from March to May, 2025. Imagery was collected to document conditions at areas in the north (“N_wetlands”) and east (“E_wetlands”) portions of the refuge prior to restoration to modify hydrology and habitat and improve future management capabilities. Imagery also captured a section of levee near the Silver Lake spillway that had failed in late 2024 (“blowout”), in order to inform adaptations to the planned restoration actions. Images were collected using low-altitude flights of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS, or “drones”) and processed using structure-from-motion techniques to generate three dimensional products including the point cloud, digital elevation model, and orthoimage in this data set. Images and derived elevation products provide baseline information about current terrestrial communities against which to compare changes following restoration of terrestrial areas.