In the next few months, an attempt will be made to evaluate the "health" of stream systems throughout the Sierra Nevada. This work is part of the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, a Congressionally recommended, Forest Service funded effort to examine the environment of the Sierra Nevada as an integrated system. Information about the whole program is available from: Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, 2140 Hart Hall, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.

The water and watershed component of the project is attempting to determine the overall status and condition of water resources for the entire mountain range. General river basin analyses of two dozen major drainages are a critical part of this study. These assessments will examine water balance, relative importance of different hydrologic and geomorphic processes, basin characteristics, water quality, sedimentation, flow regulation and export, disturbance history, management plans, etc. The scale and detail of analysis will vary between and within basins depending on the information available. That's where the help of WMC members is needed. Because this effort is a coarse overview of the entire Sierra Nevada, we'll inevitably miss a lot of information about a lot of streams. Many WMC members have already been contacted and have contributed a great deal of critical information.

Here, we'll appeal for even more: anyone having information about streams, riparian health, watershed conditions, and restoration needs in the Sierra Nevada in any form (anecdotes, photos, field notes, internal reports, publications, etc.) is asked to assist our project by contacting: Rick Kattelmann, Star Route 1, Box 198, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546, Telephone: (619) 935-4903 Fax: (619) 935-4867 Internet: rick@ crseo.ucsb.edu