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<br />002512 <br /> <br />Nevada. Public comment on the report was received and participants <br />advised the SCPP of their concerns and questions about weather modifi- <br />cation as an alternative source of additional water. <br /> <br />The record of these meetings and allied correspondence were <br />forwarded to Human Ecology Research Services (HERS) of Boulder, <br />Colorado, for analysis from a sociological perspective. The <br />report discusses the frequency and nature of the concerns raised <br />duri ng the meeti ngs and in the correspondence, the i nformati on <br />requested by the citizens and their current opinions. Patterns of <br />public response are recognized and discussed in the HERS report. <br />The summary report is used in assessments of public concern and <br />coordination needs as well as background for future project planning. <br /> <br />Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment <br />Station - The Sierra Ecology Project <br /> <br />In 1975, in conjunction with the cooperative agreement between the <br />Bureau and the Forest Service, the Sierra Ecology Project was <br />initiated. This work will assess the effects of additional snow <br />and meltwater on the high country forest ecosystem. <br /> <br />Initial project objectives included the convening of four work groups <br />to evaluate the state-of-the-art knowledge in their respective fields <br />of expertise so far as the effects of snow augmentation are concerned. <br />In addition, the needs for additional research, monitoring programs, <br />and criteria for monitoring results of the pilot project will be <br />evaluated. <br /> <br />The work groups are studying the expected effect of snow augmentation <br />upon (1) disease and insect outbreaks and tree mortality or tree <br />growth, (2) deer migration, browse dynamics, and winter-summer ranges, <br />(3) plant growth and succession and rare and endangered plants, and <br />(4) stream and lake biota. <br /> <br />Future work of the Sierra Ecology Project will include acquiring <br />snow profiles on altitudinal transects, snow crystal photography, <br />and synthesis of pre-1966-l977 snowpacks. <br /> <br />In addition, a detailed report is planned, discussing long-range <br />climatic patterns and resultant snowpack behavior of importance to <br />the region's ecology and hydrology. This work will classify the <br />climatic patterns, the resultant snowpacks, and the magnitude of <br />changes. It will relate these to the ecological factors of soil <br />water, plant growth, water delivery to reservoirs, and similar <br />ecosystem components. Data from the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory <br />and the Sierra Ecology Project will be used in this analysis. <br /> <br />40 <br /> <br />