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28 CLOUD SEEDING ably foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency (Federal or non-Federal) or person undertakes such other actions. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively signifi- cant actions taking place over a period of time. The cumulative effects issue has particular significance here because cloud seeding typically takes place over extensive geographic areas, and ownership of entire catchments is concentrated among a few individuals, companies or public agencies. Increasing public and governmental con- cern make this topic a focal point for formal appeal of proposed manage- ment actions. Several components of the cumulative effects definition warrant dis- cussion. First, the phrasing on the timing of actions (past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future) dictates the need to consider future man- agement activities, many of which are likely to be unknown. Second, since all relevant agencies or persons as potential parties to manage- ment actions are included, knowledge of the current and future plans of all parties is required. Private enterprises are not otherwise required to notify the public of their future plans. This often results in a major information void. In situations where both public and private lands are involved, as is typical for cloud seeding operations in the mountain- ous West, private landholders do not publicize their plans for future land management. Therefore, the "reasonably foreseeable future ac- tions" clause is difficult to implement. Third, the definition forces as- sessment of combined (collective) effects of individually minor actions (e.g., cloud seeding) with other, potentially more drastic actions. It is conceivable that "minor" effects from cloud seeding become unaccept- able in combination with effects from other, completely unconnected actions. 2.3.3 Case Study-The Sierra Ecology Project (SEP) The 12-year SEP was designed to study the effects of precipitation augmentation on central Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe area snowpacks and forest ecosystems due to SCPP. SEP studies generally assumed a 15% maximum annual increase in precipitation in the context of a 5-7 year randomized seeding experiment. Results were specific to the target area of SCPP. Background work on the climatologic and hydrologic regimes included evaluations of forest disease and insects (Smith et al. 1978a), deer and their habitat (Smith et al. 1978b), vegetation (Smith et al. 1978c), hydrologic processes (Berg et al. 1980), lake and stream biota (Smith et al. 1980), as well as publication of a bibliography on environmental re- sponses to weather modification (Smith and Berg 1979). Field studies and monitoring activities then addressed acidity of snowpack runoff, snow- vegetation dynamics, hydrologic consequences of rainfall on the snow- pack, and hydrologic disposition of augmented snow cover (MacDonald 1986).