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<br />This chapter 1s intended to drn~ to~ether the matn
<br />conclu51ons of Chanter IV of this report v~
<br />regard to'the influence of cloud seedinR on the Geologically, this 1s a young part of the southern
<br />terrestrial eeos stems of the San Juan Mountains. Rockies and 1s composed largely of Tertiary volcanic
<br />: 0 0 g a rie description of the field area, the tuffe and lavas, although metamorphic materials of
<br />ecosystem components ',are considered separately And Precambrian age are exposed extensively in t.he N~edle
<br />then tpc poaslbl11ty.of linked interactions among Mountains and Grenadier Range at the western end of
<br />them. -which may lead to either-damped or amplified the target area. Mesozoic sedimentary materials are
<br />reaponlSea;.to".SDoWpac.k:-augmentation, is di8cussed. found only at lower elevations; Th:f:s diversity of
<br />Tbia..t;eat:ment 'l:e.quiTea SOtte. ape.c.ulatl.on about poten- p&'te.nt materiala. cOCSlbined. with the. <:.hangot.e (If
<br />.t1al":1l1pact~,':e8p"1ally long' term ones, since not all climate and vegetation due to elevation and a his-
<br />',_\',of.~.t~.'-Pfl~~~~1o,M;:..~..:.bere ~re b~~d upon stat1s- tory of multiple .1.te~loic...gl.c1ation8, lu\B
<br />.. ~ j:,. \t:1cal.ly:,~pr09eri~re14t1.ou.h1ps.." ~The :Ipeeulation ia, . , produced.. 'caplex"p.ttern :'~f.. 10US'. and' surficial
<br />_~.. " :~u,~~t~'~kP,f.!~~~1~,~18tl!l';;~-ha~:worked,1a. the: -depoa.its: 'ho~r.{t~.r~l.~~.~)',:,fs ~~_ypical C?f
<br />,"~; :' ,San :Juan~~~~~~~~~o~~,S.;:y~~~';,,~~c;\ '~~'-1. U8e,fu~ly_:,. ';dt~, ~.u~~~.r~.c~:~~~~,<:~'Q"'c:' .t~ ''''.,:-' .
<br />'. 1ncl.ud~.~1~i',..:g~.~~:;.~~.CU".1D.P- .of....eeologic:al,;1 '.. ,,: ,,'..-.-; .......,....,..-..:S:4&a?'-dOA:.& '. _m...JUed.",..
<br />.' effect., '>~~~r:.f:n8 :~'~i.':tbe. .ip.c,~~.~~. riek.'of enor ,.;< <:oN'CLirs."iOnS,~;;;;;': ..,~~.(.;,,".''''~~.::~' :,: " ~~k,':!rs1~:it~.h~,:~-\~-l~:;~\.:i;,ii,' -:'.
<br />which .uch~.p<<uhc1DQ:"'tall'...,~:~\:.f.,-.; ;:~''''''-> ,:i-'.-} ';l.,::::(l'. :.:: ";'{,J~.-;<it:.I." ~,\'''' {~.. \:.t~'i~~~~,~i:';',;~~,,~i:~~'j.
<br />''"' .': "~;~~':>;";'l'~)!:'~1;;'~:;;~~'j~~~j.-r><i":~~;.'.:<l~~::, -.: :',,~:;i~'\i,<, ;:i.' '. .The~.;re.ulu of".the Sani:Ju.n:"Ecolo'rf"'Pro'h,ct eUJtRe.st
<br />During th~ --5"'yea:~~;ilf!-t~"("~J:1~:;~e.~rch rep~rt~,d'~l '-::"'( ':" ': .:.tha~.~.chf!re should K' no 'itaedl.t.'~ lane-seale:" ,t;:,
<br />. ,<. ';\": h~~e~,,(19!~~1~.1,~>';,.'t';b.&i:.~,~!l.J~f~~~.I-~y~~;j~';i.~' :'.\.-:.'{:'~ n...the, terrutrial~'ec:08 .tea :of.~t.he.. ',";'';
<br />'; j , ':,i!;,!,:~~~t_~)~~~\P~1~,9~~c;51!M~~~~J.~~.~{~~~ {:1c;..~~ta~e follov1n..~.n~~tloB'~-O ."u'P~~'to1~ ",.l:cent
<br />;. ,:::\!,;1.~~1~~~_~~~,~~~~8""0,f~,~P}J.i!P~__\.~~.~~.if':ir::r; f'. nul ".an ,.ell' '.:out.: V1.t:h,lno':'addltiloll.. to' . .
<br />! . '.. . ,-":.,;~.~:-::.f~~:'r~hro.~~.~~~~r~.~ed_<;~ed.~'~exper~,t;:{~'i.tf~..~~,:~(.,. ."::,:"f.rax1D1U.~.nowpacb':~~Turther~'''.':I~l!:;.o ,.~tb.'~ r re:--
<br />.'-,." inall '....tt...v...'ant1cl ated' that .the' ro ecr-1"..~t~"7~.'-" :..:..,.jP..Or~e~~~,ileJ~~;.SUgRe9~.~ttb.t.'eolDtten!l8tlng.1IIecltanisll8
<br />":,;VOUld' aive'la'l percent'increase n ter '.novpaclta; .".'.. thin t:he- studied ',.ecOS st~' Rre",sudi .that 'any
<br />.,: :.tbat"il .bout.oue'half.of the expecced'full potea-- '. .~. 1m acts would be"'buffetfld 'at'.le.at lor's ort periods
<br />~t1al'of ~ter'cloud seeding In the area. ~ubaequent ~ .~f time and 0 le.ser ma n ~ude than'the c an es
<br />..,evaluat1fm;~!~,t~'.c.l..ou4.~,fleed1ng exper1ment, ha;8 led to .V .in .uo" conditions .-require ~:to,.pr uce'.t Q..;>~:
<br />.~:~t~::concl~~~~}t~~;.ac~UaJ."snowpal;:k,~augmentatlOD VBII. . ,.' ..,;, -~>"..;. '.t,'A~' ~t.~'.:.:~.:~tSM~.~~~t.};~A~:&.~';:"::: ..... .
<br />be1ov..tbe.-,.~t:tc:ipated.: 15 percent :leve1. (Hovell, thi. However. 80llle 'Dart. of' the mountain 'ecosystem are
<br />-.t vol.tp.'-, .Sl~'.J-~;'AnY -'artificially' caused iucre.lle in the ... :much more susceptible to' changes '1n~8aov -conditions
<br />8Ilovpaek'of~the San.Juan Mount.ins has been imposed khan others. 80 impor~ll~t local effects are Dossible.
<br />on a'regIon in.vb1cb~pree1p1tat1on ana enoy ~n geneT.I, these auaceptible'components are very
<br />accumulat10n 18 naturalLy n1gh~y var1aDle: annua1~ small parts of tbe entire system.but their.economic
<br />Bnowfall-.there -rangu between 35 percent less and or estnetic value may be much greater than their
<br />~tsO ercent reater'tban the annuaJ. mean 01 4U em mass or area sUXRest. ..~d;ial ,action .is 'possible
<br />vater. e tvaleut'l v.e. 'aae&eur over a ear in IOOst of. the~e-l:~!il'~a,,',~~t haa not.""been studied 1n
<br />~r10cL ; .if!lny Q ~:~he~e.t1aates 0 eco ogie: impact this project.,. .Our ,,"ork has shown'three ecosystem
<br />aade in t~~~t~t,.re:'ba.ed on the potential 30 per- .'~' eOQl onents to be moat..UBce tible;to increa8ed.~.
<br />cent lacreaee 111".840 sn ack accumulation that vas snoW' all:. snow ok.. tuat OIlS.,..at e ev.t ons above
<br />origtn.l1y....Ud8d to be Xossible in an operations treeline; (2J elk herds (~ otber'aounta1n ranges
<br />phase4f vtoter cloud see ing. . qther b~g g~,.pecle_ ~y'be .~larly,affeeted);
<br />and 3) some small 'mammal ~pulation., especially
<br />the deer mouse., ,~ot all of these impacts are
<br />neeess&Til deleter1oua; .an increase 'in'the area of
<br />snowbank ed e bLtat8 in a pine area aay, or examp e,
<br />increase t e nic e8 ava a e or rare,p ant spec e8.
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<br />Nel CailH
<br />
<br />CHAPTER I I
<br />A DISCUSSION AND SYNTHESIS !I
<br />l!. C. P. Pntrick Reid, P. J. Webber, and Donald A. Klein
<br />
<br />INTRODUCTION
<br />
<br />vation. With the
<br />all-weather roads
<br />of it lies within
<br />
<br />exception of Wolf Creek Pass, no
<br />crOBS the UlOunta1n area and nlucn
<br />the Weminuche Wilderness.
<br />
<br />i .~~ '~',
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<br />IlIE FIELD ;~:
<br />
<br />In southwestern Colorado, the Continental Divide
<br />makes a vide bend'to the west around the headw.ters
<br />of the Rio Grande and through the San Juan Kountatns.
<br />The target area for cloud seeding has been a 3400 km2
<br />area in the.southern and eastern part of the range,
<br />extending from the Colorado-New Mexico state line to
<br />the Needle Mountains. Host of the field "investiga-
<br />tions of the San Juan Ecology Project have been
<br />conducted in this target area (Figure 1, Chapter I).
<br />
<br />inall even in the'small!areas ~here v~ pr6di~t
<br />~eatest i~pacts fTom'increase snow ate c anges
<br />nvolved are un e y to approac t e mag u e 0
<br />ot er man-ma e mpacta on mounta n ecosystems. ow-
<br />ever. it Should be remembered tnat ~ney may act in
<br />Dhase with other man-made impacts and ,,"tth natural
<br />climatic changes. in which case the total effect
<br />could be mueh greater t~an our studies suggest,
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<br />In the target area, the Continental Divide runs 8lmost
<br />east-we6t and subsidiary ridges eKtend from it to the
<br />south or southwest between tributaries of the San
<br />Juan'River. The topography of the area is generally
<br />rugged vit~ ~ome of the peaks ~xceeding 4250 ro ele-
<br />
<br />........ _7_____________....
<br />
<br />Ecological impacts of sno\lpack augmentation 1\1 tIll'
<br />Ecology Project, Colorado State University P\!!-l,.
<br />
<br />1/ In Steinhoff, Harold W. and Jack D. Ives (Eds,) 1976.
<br />San Juan MOuntains, Colorado. Final Report, San Juan
<br />Fort Collins.
<br />~I Present Address:
<br />
<br />INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, Color~do
<br />
<br />80309.
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<br />A_l':l:_....
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