WSP09641

• File Number: 8200.750
• Description: San Juan River General
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 3/9/1976
• Author: Steinhoff and Ives
• Title: Ecological Impacts of Snowpack Augmentation in the San Juan Mountains - Colorado - March 9 1976
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH HETIlOOS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Y

Nel Caine 1/. Jane H. Bock. Bnd H. W. Steinhoff

INTRODUCTION

This chapter Is ~ poat-facto evaluatIon of the San
Juan Eco!Oty Pto~e~t (SJ~~) !nt~nded to ~eet the con-
tractua.l requirement to "develop a methodology for
continuing ecological impact studies elsewhere." It
benefits from the separate evaluation of research
needs in assessing the environmental impact of
snowfall augmentation made recently by Cooper et al.
(1974). We outline the research and administrative
procedures used in SJEP and indicate those that were
found useful, 88 well as others that were noC so
useful. The chapter also includes brief consider-
ation of research topics that were not included in
the project but which now seem of greater impor-
tance than they did in 1970, at the inception of
the San Juan Ecology Project. One objective of this
evaluation is to make the eXgerienr-e of SJEP inves-
tigators available to ecologists concerned with the
impacts of snowfall augmentation in other areas.
We do not intend to construct a set of guidelines
to constrain other researchers since work at other
~imes and places will probably involve different
problems than those faced in SJEP.

The San Juan Ecology Project was subject to a number
of constraints. Some of these derive from its
geographic and historical context and are bound to
influence an internal evaluation of the project.
Therefore, it is useful at the outset to summsrize
the important controlling features of SJEP.

I. The project was intended to evaluate the poten-
tial impacts of snowpack augmentation produced
by cloud seeding over a wide mountain area.

2. The target area of'cloud seeding, ~here
ecological work was concentrated, was un-
developed. The populated area of the western
San Juan Mountains was removed from the target
area before seeding stsrted in 1970 (Figure 1.
Chapter 1). ~ithin the target area defined at
that time, there was no resident population and
only one all-season road. A large part of the
area 1s now (1976) designated wilderness within
the Weminuche Wilderness.

3. The increase in snowfall was predicted to be
15 percent during the pilot study and would be
30 percent under operationsl cloud seeding. Any
increase would be imposed on a natural snawpack
with high annual variability.

4. Only selected terrestrial ecosystems were
studied in the project.

5. The level of funding throughout the life of the
project was about $200,000 per year.

6. The research was conducted through local
(Colorado) institutions: University of Colorado
(CU); Colorado State University (CSU); snd
Fort Lewis College (FLC).

II In Steinhoff, Harold W. and Jack D. Ives (Eds.) 1976.
San Joan Mountains, ColoTado. Final Report, San Juan
Fort Collins.
!I Present Address:

7. The research group had not previously worked
together as a team.

In evaluating the experience gained in SJEP. three
scales af consideration are used here. First, over-
all project operation and administration are con-
sidered. Second are comments on the general
approaches to environmental research which are
applicable to this kind of impact evaluation.
Finally, more specific research procedures and
reco~ndations make up the last part of the chapter.
The final section includes only those procedures
which apply to a number of different subprojects in
SJEPi approaches without this level of generality
are left to the individual reports of Chapter IV.
Hore detailed discussion of some of the topics in-
troduced in the last part of this chapteT can also
be found in the subproject reports of Chapter IV.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Since 2nvironmental research involves scientists from
different disciplines with varying interests, ad-
ministrative problems of cooperation and coordination
often occur. These problems may be minimized when
all re6earchers are from the same institution or
have worked together previoosly; however. the San
Juan Ecology Project did not have either of these
advantsges at its inception. The project was con-
ducted through three university-type institutions.
This separation resulted in fiscal and political
tension in the early days of the project and had a
continoing influence on its administration. SJEP
never experienced a single, central authority;
instead. the project was operated through a coordi-
nator, ~wo team leaders. and a steering committee.
The problems Bssociated with the administrative
structore discussed here are the administration
of SJEP. project planning and priorities. and
scientific cooperation.

The results of a questionnaire administered to .SJEP
investigators snd administrators in mid-1975 by
Dr. Douglas A. Benton and Dr. Jsmes R. Meiman of
ColoradO State University are widely used in this
chapter (NSF grant NM-~44-11 to Dr. D. A. Benton).*
Benton and Heiman made tabulated results from the
questionnaire responses available to USi the inter-
pretation and eVBluation of the results made here
are our own responsibility. To Buit present needs.
the sequence of questions has occasionally been
changed and this may account for some apparent
inconsistency in the results. The tabulated
responses to the questionnaire summarize subjective
perceptions of the project beld by the personnel
working on it. Nevertheless. there is often a
surprising level of consensus in the responses.

*A sample questionnaire is included as Appendix A
to this chapter.

Ecological Impacts of Snowpack Augmentation in the
Ecology Project. Colorado Stste University Publ..

INSTAAR, University of Colorado. Boulder, Colorado

80309.

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