WMOD00398

• Project Name: Project Skywater
• Title: Precipitation Management and the Environment - An Overview of the Skywater IX Conference
• Date: 9/1/1977
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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What value system is it appropriate to apply in assessing vegetational changes? How does risk
of weeds relate to rate of change of climate? Are weeds and pests a greater problem in moist
climates, or in dry ones?
Animals.-As precipitation management operates through more and more complex chains of
cause-and-effect, in combination with more and more other independent sources of
disturbance, how can we handle the intermingling of precipitation-management-related impacts
with others? What is the relationship to alternatives for animal management, such as feeding
the elk?
Societal.-Since the anticipated precipitation changes are not expected to change the
structure or functioning of societal institutions, the issues relate to derivative impacts. Can we
methodically and rationally predict changes in societal institutions and their functioning that
would result indirectly from precipitation management? Can sociology model social responses
to precipitation management to a degree of precision useful for prediction of behavior? Should
Skywater adopt the goals and methods of this model concept? Can we identify and quantify
stresses and responses by societal institutions to precipitation management? Can benefits and
disbenefits to individuals be identified? Can the disbenefited be compensated? How should
costs be distributed? To what extent do responses such as the scapegoat reflex spring from the
nature of precipitation management, and to what extent from preexisting cleavages in society?
How can they be mitigated?
Seeding agents.-Should the need for silver monitoring be reassessed and purposes and
methods redefined? What are the needs for further research on biospheric impacts? Should
studies be made of areas long impacted by industrial silver contamination? What issues should
monitoring be designed to resolve? How widespread and how sensitive need monitoring be?
Environmental overview ,-What priority should be assigned environmental issues of
precipitation management in comparison with other environmental issues affecting the same
regions and in comparison with other aspects of precipitation management? How may
resources for investigation be justified and obtained? How should assessment of
precipitation-management-related impacts be considered in relation to assessment of other
generally much more powerful impacts on the same environmental system? What is the validity
and limitations of an investigatory method relying on extrapolation from the effects of greatly
exaggerated impacts, that is, increasing snowpack tenfold by means of snow fences? How
should we bridge from studying impacts on organisms to assessing impacts on ecosystems and
environments?

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