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<br />~ <br />I <br />I <br />) <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />f <br />I <br />I <br />j <br />I <br /> <br />FOREWORD <br /> <br />The year 2001 is the 27th continuous year of Western Kansas Weather Modification <br />Program (WKWMP) cloud seeding operations to attempt to optimize rainfall and to reduce crop- <br />damaging hail and over much of Western and Southwestern Kansas during its crop growing <br />season, The WKWMP, administered by Western Kansas Groundwater Management District # 1 <br />in Scott City, has become one of the oldest continuous programs of its kind in the United States <br />and the only such program that uniquely attempts to seed all severe storms developing within its <br />target area, or passing through it, in which a tornado or funnel cloud may be present <br /> <br />This is the first year since 1997 we have not conducted ajoint program with Northwest <br />Kansas Groundwater Management District #4 (NWKGMD), Also, it is the first year since that <br />time that we've been reduced to flying less than 8-9 seeding aircraft, flying just six this season, <br />the same as in 1996, <br /> <br />After the General Election in early November 2000, well after our cloud seeding season <br />had ended, political events came together in such a way that NWKGMD elected not to renew its <br />contract with WKGMD#l for the 2001 cloud seeding season, This' event set into motion a <br />"building down" of the WKWMP to where we left off in 1996. The many, many years of <br />sacrifice, hard work and aspirations ofNWKGMD Executive Director, Wayne Bossert, and his <br />NWKGMD Board of Directors came to naught. The reasons for the ultimate demise of the <br />program could be detailed infinitum, but it did not include weather modification failing to <br />produce the promised results.. ,because it did.. ,spectacularly, by some estimates. Within three <br />seasons, both the legislated deregulation of the hail insurance business and the large reductions <br />in hail damage combined to allow crop-hail insurance rates to drop quickly in many areas, Its <br />demise was more the case that the public was deceived about our seeding activities and effects, <br />thus ensuring it became a highly emotional issue in which any appeal to logic and reason would <br />ultimately fail. It's all happened before elsewhere, in the same manner and with the same result <br /> <br />When the season ended last year, we had suffered through the worst drought since 1988, <br />Crop prices were low for the third year running, Then late October soaking rains came, followed <br />by more winter precipitation and more into early spring, such that by the start of the growing <br />season soil moisture in most areas was about as good as could be hoped for, given the dry early <br />fall in 2000. The growing season rainfall this year fell in all, or none, fashion it seemed, over <br />much of the target area, May nearly deluged many areas,..8+ inches of rain fell at the Lakin radar <br />site, for example. Then, there were dry periods with numerous 90 - 100+ degree maximum daily <br />surface temperatures, week after week. Hail damage was greatest in May, nearly as much <br />damage was done in that month alone as all the other months combined. <br /> <br />On Sept. 11th all aircraft in the USA were grounded due to the terrorist attacks back east <br />Several days later IFR flights were allowed, but not VFR; as a result, only limited seeding could <br />be attempted. On Sept 20th, the last day of our program, normal flying again was allowed, <br />During this lO-day "grounding" period almost 10% of the total seasonal hail damage was done <br />by September storms which were more numerous and vicious this year compared to other years, <br />