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- - - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Dennis H~ Knight ... ... Regard I ess of the spec if i c resour.ce be i ng managed, the memagement techniques always lead to secondary ecological changes. This occurs because of the many interactions that are characteristic of theeco- systems in' which man operates. The ec:ological changes that oc:cur may not be detrimental, but sometimes' they are and any modern mamlgement program should have sufficient ecologiical information so that unfor- tunate consequences can be avoided or minimized. .' P rec i p i tat i on management is a rather new WeIY. of mod i fyi ri!~ eco- systemsi and consequently little is known about the potential secondary changes that may occur where rainfall or snowfall is increased over a period of years. With this in mind, and in anticipation of a.winter cloud seeding program for the Medicinl~ Bow Mountains of Wyomilng, an interdis~iplinary research program was initiated to 1) predict probable secondary effects, if any, of the planned winter cloud seeding program, and 2) provide a basis for evaluating the ecological impact of cloud seeding when it actually occurs. The basic question for the Medicine Bow Project was, "How will the ecosystem change if the mean annual snowfall is increased by cloud seedin1g with silver iodide?" Since it has been financially impossible to devel~p a research program to study the entire ecosystem, our research focused on the: sensitivity of certain key components and processes in the ecosystems of the Medicine Bow Mountains. In addition to baseline data, this final report includes the results of seven separate studies:. I. The impaCt of snow on elk. 2. The impact of snow on mule deer. 3. The impact of snow on herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. 4. The impact of snow on litter decomposition and nutrient leaching. 5. The re I at ionsh i p between trout eco logy and annual sl'llowpack. 6. The effect of spring run-off on subalpin~ lake phytoplankton. ~ .... - - - - - ... .", Yi - ~..