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high. Those warm night temperatures that should happen only once every decade will likely occur at least every other year by the time we reach 2099. ifnot more frequently, Tebaldi said. One of the larger changes in precipitation predicted is in the intensity of rain and snowfall. That means, Tebaldi said, "when it rains, it rains more" even if it doesn't rain as often. Tebaldi's assessment confirms the National Climatic Data Center's tracking of extreme events in the United States, said David Easterling, chief of the center's scientific services. Easterling's group has created a massive climate extreme index that measures the weather in America. Last year, the United States experienced the second most extreme year in 95 years; the worst year was in 1998. California's Proposition to Preserve, Restore States Waterways: California voters are considering Proposition 84 that would split $5.4 billion in bond money between a laundry list of water-related projects and spending on natural resources preservation and restoration, including $400 million for Californian state parks. Among the spending proposed on water projects, $1 billion would be used to increase the supply of local water throughout the state to reduce dependence on imported water. Another $525 million would be devoted to reducing water pollution and improving water quality. The state estimates that the bond measure could increase California's water supply by 1.2 billion acre-feet. More than $900 million of the bond would be spent on projects that protect or restore rivers, lakes and streams, and nearly $1 billion would be spent on coastal areas and wildlife conservation. State parks would receive $500 million for improvements and land acquisition, and local parks would split $400 million. Nearly 20 percent of Prop. 84 -- $1 billion -- would be set aside for what the state calls "integrated regional water management." Begun with proceeds from a $3.4 billion water bond approved by voters in November 2002, this grant program administered by the state Department of Water Resources is aimed at making various parts of the state less reliant on importing water from other areas of the state. Backers ofthe proposition say it complements the other public works measures with its investment in natural resources as well as its efforts to improve water quality and make regions ofthe state more self- reliant for their water. Opponents, who have launched no campaign other than writing ballot arguments against the bond, say there isn't enough spending on water projects and that the environmental groups backing the measure benefit financially from its passage, as the foundations, conservancies and public interest groups that helped pay to gather signatures to place Prop. 84 on the ballot would be beneficiaries of loans and grants paid for by the bond. Workshops on WIMS and NHD Held: On September 12-15, the Western States Water Council, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (OSE) cohosted a workshop on Water Infonnation Management Systems (WIMS) and Water Availability. It was preceded by a training session on the USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), which is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data about surface water features. such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and springs. When combined to fonn "reaches," it provides a framework for linking water-related data to the surface drainage network and allows users to display and analyze water-related data in upstream and downstream order. USGS experts also addressed a variety of models and other infonnation for projecting water supply needs and detennining water availability. Bill Alley, Chief, USGS Office of Ground Water, addressed issues of sustainability and the long tenn effects of climate change on ground water. USGS is now conducting 10 r . . .