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<br />difficult to predict and control. In 2003, the National Academy of Sciences questioned the science behind .
<br />cloud seeding and called for national research into the practice.
<br />
<br />Increasing demands for water in the West has public and private water managers facing probable future
<br />shortages, even in good water years, In the Colorado River Basin, which is already grappling with
<br />foreseeable shortages, weather modification technology has been employed in the past and some believe
<br />it has the potential to increase runoff by as much as 10%, Such a boost in supplies would benefit millions
<br />of water users now and in the future. Of note, as weather modification technology has emerged, it has
<br />become apparent that long-term augmentation programs such as Wyoming is undertaking hold the most
<br />promise for improving water supplies since the right orographic conditions (and clouds to seed) are
<br />difficult to find during drought.
<br />
<br />Secretary Norton Applauds Senate Confirmation of P. Lynn Scarlett as Deputy Secretary of the
<br />Interior: On Nov, 21, Secretary Gale A. Norton praised the U.S. Senate's confirmation ofP, Lynn
<br />Scarlett as the Department of the Interior's deputy secretary. President Bush proposed Scarlett for the
<br />position on Feb. 8 and the Senate confirmed on Friday, Nov. 18.
<br />
<br />In her role as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Scarlett has discharged the
<br />authority of the Secretary for all phases of management, budget and other administrative activities and
<br />serves as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary, She took her post with Interior in July 2001. She
<br />serves as both the chief financial officer and chief human capital officer of the department. She also helps
<br />coordinate department-wide environmental policy initiatives to implement Secretary Gale Norton's "4
<br />C's" vision of conservation through communication, consultation and cooperation.
<br />
<br />Fred Ore Named Reclamation's Eastern Colorado Area Manager: Fred Ore, Director of Operations .
<br />in the Bureau of Reclamation's Washington headquarters, has been named Area Manager for the
<br />Reclamation's Eastern Colorado Area Office headquartered in Loveland. Ore will be responsible for
<br />managing 20 water storage dams and seven powerplants that are part of the Colorado-Big Thompson and
<br />Fryingpan-Arkansas projects and the Annel Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program (Bonny
<br />Dam),
<br />
<br />Prior to his most recent Washington service, Ore was manager of the Nebraska-Kansas Area Office in
<br />Grand Island, Neb" for over five years, Between 1996 and 1998 he served as Great Plains Regional
<br />Liaison in Washington, D,C., and during this time was detailed to the staff of the Water and Power
<br />Subcommittee of the House Resources Committee, Prior to his service in Washington, D,C., he served for
<br />over 20 years in a variety of field and office engineering activities, mostly in Oklahoma and Texas. He
<br />received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma,
<br />
<br />Ralph Morgenweck Takes New Position: Ralph Morgenweck will leave his position as Regional
<br />Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service effective December 9, 2005 to take a new position with the
<br />Service in Denver, Dr. Morgenweck's new assignment will include developing Biological Standards for
<br />Interior and implementing guidelines for the Data Quality Act. Mitch King, Deputy Director for the
<br />Service's Southeast Region, will be the Acting Regional Director for the next 120 days.
<br />
<br />Report Says 2005 Will Be Hottest, Stormiest: This year is likely to go down as the hottest, stormiest,
<br />and driest ever; making a strong case for the urgent need to combat global warming, a report released
<br />Tuesday at the U.N, Climate Change Conference said, The year 2005, the World Wildlife Fund said, is
<br />shaping up as the worst for extreme weather, with the hottest temperatures, most Arctic melting, worst
<br />Atlantic hurricane season and warmest Caribbean waters. It's also been the driest year in decades in the
<br />Amazon, where a drought may surpass anything in the past century, said the report by international
<br />environmental group,
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