2026 Big Sky GeoCon - From Data to Design: Full Schedule

The Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals (MAGIP) looks forward to your participation at this year’s 2026 Big Sky GeoCon!

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3:10pm MDT

Design, Data, and Construction: The Use of Geospatial Tools in Stream Restoration

Wednesday April 15, 2026 3:10pm - 3:40pm MDT

East Divide Room

Geospatial tools play a crucial role in modern stream restoration by supporting accurate assessment, design, construction, and monitoring. This presentation highlights the integrated use of UAS, surveying, LiDAR, GPS enabled equipment, and GIS to collect, analyze, and implement high-resolution spatial data for stream and floodplain restoration. These technologies improve design efficiency, reduce time/cost, and support informed decision-making throughout the restoration project, from initial assessment through post-construction monitoring.

Presenters

Tanner Tompkins

GIS/Land Resources Specialist, Kroenke Ranches

Tanner Tompkins is a GIS/Land Resource Specialist and UAS Remote Pilot who specializes in stream restoration work and implementing GIS in large scale agriculture and ranch operations. He was raised in the Flathead Valley and now splits his time between Bozeman, Whitefish, and Augusta... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 3:10pm - 3:40pm MDT
East Divide Room

Conservation/Natural Resources

3:45pm MDT

Utilization of Field and Remote Sensing Data to Design the Piedmont Wetland Restoration Project

Wednesday April 15, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm MDT

East Divide Room

SWCA Environmental Consultants (formerly River Design Group) was retained by MT Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and the Jefferson Local Development Corporation to design a wetland restoration project at the Piedmont Wetlands south of Whitehall, Montana. Data collection for wetland restoration design development included pond bathymetry, topography, vegetation, wetland delineation and wetland functional assessment. Field data were used for the basis of restoration design, and the supporting GIS analysis included LiDAR surface analysis and clarification of historical alterations to the system. Spatial and 3D analysis as well as conceptual design drafting were completed in the ArcGIS Pro platform.

Presenters

Selita Ammondt

SWCA Environmental Consultants

Selita is a Senior Project Manager and Restoration Ecologist with 20 years of experience in river and wetland restoration. She designs wetland restoration projects, develops floodplain and vegetation restoration plans, and prepares federal and state permitting documents. Selita is... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm MDT
East Divide Room

Conservation/Natural Resources

4:20pm MDT

Modernizing Forest Inventory on Montana’s Trust Lands through LiDAR and Timber Cruise Data Integration

Wednesday April 15, 2026 4:20pm - 4:50pm MDT

Alpine Room

Since the 1980s, the Montana DNRC’s Stand Level Inventory (SLI) has supported forest management on Trust Lands through walkthrough-based field assessments of stand conditions. While foundational, this method presented challenges in data consistency, repeatability, and maintenance. Leveraging recent statewide LiDAR acquisition, DNRC developed the Remote Forest Inventory (RFI), integrating timber cruise data with LiDAR to produce spatially continuous, landscape-scale forest metrics. This presentation highlights DNRC’s application of GIS and remote sensing in developing the RFI, a modernization effort that transformed legacy inventory methods into a precise, efficient, and scalable framework for forest data management.

Presenters

Anna Moser

Remote Sensing Analyst, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Anna Moser is a Remote Sensing Analyst with the Forest Management Bureau of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. She develops and maintains forest and vegetation inventory sampling frameworks for Montana’s State Trust Lands. Her professional interests include... Read More →

Clay Stephenson

MT DNRC

Clay Stephenson is the Forestry Section Supervisor for the Forest Management Bureau of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He and his team maintain the DNRC’s silviculture, forest mensuration, and sustained yield calculation programs. His professional interests... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 4:20pm - 4:50pm MDT
Alpine Room

Conservation/Natural Resources

2026 Big Sky GeoCon - From Data to Design

3:10pm MDT

Tanner Tompkins

3:45pm MDT

Selita Ammondt

4:20pm MDT

Anna Moser

Clay Stephenson

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