Funding opportunity number P24AS00178 2024 preservation technology and training PTT grants are administered by the national center for preservation technology and training ncptt the national park…

Funding opportunity number P24AS00178 2024 preservation technology and training PTT grants are administered by the national center for preservation technology and training ncptt the national park services innovation center for the preservation community. The 2024 PTT grants are intended to create better tools better materials and better approaches to conserving buildings landscapes and cultural resources. Aridland groundwater springs have provided lush oases for humans and wild species for thousands of years. Their cultural importance for sustaining human civilizations cannot be understated because they provide consistent water supply even during periods of extreme water scarcity. However hotter drier conditions and increased human development now threaten the sustainability of large culturally important aridland springs. We propose to assess the changing nature of these vital water resources across the state of texas. Our objectives seek to bring attention to the cultural importance and threats to these springs analyze trends in spring productivity and develop an innovative remotesensing tool for monitoring realtime spring productivity. First we will carry out interviews with springs managers to gain perspectives about the cultural significance dynamics and looming threats to springs. Second we will build a digital resource and archive using historic and current photos and interview quotes to broadcast how these important cultural spaces are changing over time. Finally we will develop a machine learning springs monitoring tool using 10M spatial resolution SENTINEL2 satellite imagery which we will verify against a network of USGS spring flow monitoring stations. Together these innovative crosscutting methods will provide a multifaceted assessment of the current integrity of these systems and paths forward for their longterm health. Our proposed approach is not only useful for monitoring springs in texas but IT also provides a potential integrative methodology for assessing change in springs ecosystems.