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Comments to SWSI~ November 3,2003, by John Wiener 13 AWRA. The Journal of the American Water Resources Association has also published considerable schorarship, but listing all the sources by journars would take a long time. The .theated debatell as one book title (arguing irs all wrong, I think; don1t know) has itl goes on.. Reports on Colorado places and sectors There is a very good and pleasantly accessible report from Dr. Dennis Ojima and Dr~ Jill Lackett, and their coUeagues and a large group of farmers and ranchers which provides the "best availabJeu wrap-up for the Plains at the moment. It.s caned: Ojimat Dennis, S. and Jill M. Lackett. CompHers, and others, July 2002: Preoarina for a Chanaina Climate: The Potential Conseauences of CUmate Variabilitv and Chanoe .... Reoort of the Central Great Plains Reaional Assessment Group, for the US Grobar Change Research Program. Fort Collins -- Colorado State University~ The report is available at: http://www .nrel.colostate.edu/projects/gpalgpa-..report. pdt Prospects for agricuJture in the Plains are problematic, beoause of the difficulties for many common activities and how they compare to national produGtion~ In short, things are not likely to improve for marginal farming even if regional yierds are not hurt but the national production is increased, because the price squeeze is unlikely to be relieved; and may be worsened. If regional yietds are decreased, so much the worse. One interesting result is that irrigated agriculture may not be helped even if climate favors farming~ since the dryland growers would be comparatively much better off without the costs of production that irrigation involved. There is a new assessment for the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin region, which may be useful for the West SJope interests in agrjculture and range management; this one was based at Utah State University. It is Wagner, F.H~, Ed., 2003, Rockv Mountain - Great Basin Reaional Climate Chanae Assessment. Report for the US Global Change Research Program, Logan, UT: Utah State UniversitYt available at: http://www ,en r ..usu ~edu/defau~t as p ?category=pu bJ ications&section =publ ications&content;;;:cl imate Unhappily, the current conditions incfude strong prospects for continuing decline in the agricultural sector of the region, almost regardless of any cUmate change~ There are some high- value areas and specialty crops, of course; but in general the trend is downward as water moves to municipal uses from low productivity extensive land uses~ Hay alone was 41 % of the crop value in a non-drought year~ The tourism, outdoor recreationf and amenity-driven popuJation growth are likery to increase in importance even if there is an increase in water avaUability~ The value of maintaining flexibility in water distributiont especially to keep alive the chances for deveropment of more speciarty and high-value crops, may be particularly under-appreciated in the West Slope area. (One is reminded of the specialty bean crops from Dove Creek and Cortez as examples, and the wine and fruit business in PaUsadet the Paonia area (especially before the mining housing destroyed famous orchards - they may be back someday!), and the Olathe sweet corn speciaJty crops; Green River melons, and so forth.) The uoverview" from the US GCRP National Assessment Synthesis Team is quite brief on each of the regions and the sectors; for example1 see the Great Plains: http://www . usgcrp. gov/usgc rp/Lib rary/nation alassess menVoverviewg reatprajns~ htm There is atso the collectjon of regional assessments; and sector reports for the National Assessment These were synthesized into the ufoundation document'\ which is another rendition~ One reason for the many editions is literally editjng and reviewing by different panefs and officials, because of the heavy political weight of controversy over climate issues~ The Uwater sectorll report is considered excellent: