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Desert Research Institute
Division of Earth & Ecosystem Sciences (DEES)
Landscape Dynamics
Support Program (LanDPro)
Meeting military readiness, mission capability, and battlefield preparation
calls for large training areas in landscapes representative of the in-theater
field environment. Access to safe and realistic training necessitates training
area sustainability through land and cultural resource management, as
well as the ability to predict and avoid areas sensitive to disturbance.
Cost-effective, system-wide methodologies based on integrated scientific
approaches for rapid site assessment can minimize disruptions to training,
while fulfilling management strategies.
LanDPro enhances and integrates recently completed soil, geomorphic,
and hydrogeologic projects for ITAM and other DoD projects, as well as
improves the robustness and universality of existing tools in support of
use these tools to selectively assess and target sites for restoration and
resource management. Additionally, expedited cultural resource inventories
for DoD expansion areas or infrastructure modifications will be
possible through enhancement of existing prototypes for predictive
archaeological models.
Photos: Sara E. Jenkins
Related Research Sponsored in part by the Department of Defense
Bullard, T., McDonald, E., and Baker, S. 2009. Integration of new methods in soils and geomorphology applied to cultural
resources management on military lands. Workshop Report, sponsored by: Army Research Office, NAVFAC SW, Desert
Research Institute, Oct. 20-22, San Diego, CA.
Caldwell, T.G., McDonald, E.V. and Young, M. 2006. Soil disturbance and hydrologic response at the National Training Center,
Ft. Irwin, California. Journal of Arid Environments, 67, p. 456-472.
McDonald, E.V., and Bullard, T.F. 2008. Geomorphic response to extreme change in a Mediterranean ecosystem: Holocene
alluvial history of Santa Catalina Island, California, USA. European Geosciences Union, Geophysical Research Abstracts 10,
EGU2008-A-10709.
McDonald, E., Bullard, T., Britt, T., and Ruiz, M. 2004. Development of an archaeological predictive model for management of
military lands: identification of geological variables in desert terrain. In: D.R. Caldwell, J. Ehlen, and R.S. Harmon, Eds.,
Studies in Military Geology. Kluwer Academic, Boston, p. 259-270.