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<br />, <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />WEEKLY NEWSLETTER <br />96-9 <br /> <br />RECEIVED <br />JUN 19 1996 <br /> <br />FOR THE PERIOD JUNE 8 - 14, 1996 <br /> <br />Colorado Waler <br />ConselV3tion Board <br /> <br />General Interest: Many people around the general area like to tune <br />in their radios and scanners to hear conversations between our <br />pilots and the meteorologist while seeding ope~ations are being <br />conducted. Inadvertently we have not mentioned that ou~ VHF <br />frequency has been changed to 122.850 from 122.925---the frequency <br />used previously. Our FM frequency remains the same---155,10 MHz. <br /> <br />An update on Oklahoma drought' relief: Last week a request for <br />proposals was sent out by Oklahoma's Central Purchasing Office <br />(CPO) asking for contractors to send in their proposals to conduct <br />. . a combined ht.il 6_.:.:~p~e_ssion/r~iri stimula"tion clc'..ld 's6.edinq proqr&n <br />over the entire state of Oklahoma July 1st through September 30th. <br />There could be a possibility of using unspent funds to conduct some <br />cloud seeding operations next springior a month or two. A million <br />dollars has been appropriated for the endeavor, <br /> <br />Although the Western Kansas Weather Modification Program would <br />have liked to participate as a contractor, there were a couple of <br />things holding us back: First, as a non-profit organization, we <br />would not like to be seen as competing with the private aectorl <br />second, the CPO request tacked on requirements which, frankly, had <br />more to do with research and evaluation than with operational <br />productivity, i.e., seeding clouds. On the other hand, curiously, <br />,there was a seeming lack of understanding about what really is <br />required to operate a professional level program with radar <br />operators and meteorologists insofar as real-time forecasting, <br />providing useful guidance to aircraft and two-way communications <br />between ground and plane are concerned, It !.-eems there is high <br />interest in attempting to find out how well cloud seeding works but <br />little interest in ensuring that whatever clouds are being seeded <br />are done so in a timely and proper manner to increase the odds that <br />cloud seeding will do what is expected of it., There will bean <br />advisory committee to "prioritize" specific areas, for weather <br />modification to be done for the entire state. Only 3 planes will be <br />used to seed over Oklahoma---an, area 6 times, larger than the <br />western Kansas Weather Modification Program target area for which <br />we~ have 6 planes, one of whiCh is a higher performance aircraft. <br /> <br />Anyway, we wish them well and anticipate cooperating fully <br />with the company that obtains the contract inasmuch as we will be <br />wanting to seed many of the same severe storms they do for those <br />storms entering the Oklahoma panhandle moving toward Kansas or <br />those leaving Kansas moving into the Panhandle. ' <br /> <br />Finally, since cloud seeding cannot be done in Colorado for <br />effect in Oklahoma on many storms moving into or out of Cimarron <br />and Texas counties in the Panhandle, Oklahomans will enjoy the same <br />endless "mindlock" problems we have had to experience in Eastern <br />