Hungry Horse news., 1952-03-07
The Cloud Planters

We hope our valley wakes up with lhe spring
In the matter of "rain-maklng. ...
While there is disagreement as to the ellec'-
iyeness of man seeding clouds with silver odloe or
dry ice to increase precipitation none ol 10 is "
the Flathead should forget last fall
The Bonneville Power administration employed
Denver concern to start cloud seeding actlVles li
the upper Columbia watershed. Bonneville was stop
aaJ bafore generators were set up in this section
of Montana by public sentiment ana "e'' 'oi'
Vet there are those among us in the Flathead
who honestly feel that cloud seeding generators 1
I'M in eastern Washington increased precipitation
here Our wet weather comes from the West, anu
cloud seeding has been said to milk clouds that ira
vel great distances.
So there was cloud seeding to the west OF us,
and in September the Flatheao airport ,eooiueu :e
189 inches of precipitation compared to LA men
normal Hungry Horse had dripping 5.I9 hches
and West Glacier was doused with 1897 inches
Worse was that the month ended with one
third of the Flatheads harvest still IN lhe lleIos
Then followed October with weather resembling De-
cennber In fact at West Glacier % inches OF snow
fell during the fall month compared to normal
81 inches West Glaciers December snowfall is
283 inches. 1t experienced the winter blanket III
October. Result is the Flathead stll mas uldiV
ed grain fields
There is agreement in the Flathead among far
mers loggers, resort owners and townsfolks that
rain-makng be disastrous In fact II was more
or less accepted last fall that shooting ram-maK-
er's generator full of holes wouldn't have been
crime.
Let's not be inclined to view cloud seeding as
a problem of the past. We note banner headline
in last weeks Ritzville, Wash. weekly newspaper,
The Journal-Times, 'Rain- Making Meeting is
Called"
The story continues that at Odessa at least 70
of the 200 farmers openly favored the project
Other paragraphs continue: The idea of rain
increasing in April May and June was not defnlt-
civ accepted Some farmers felt September should
be included Others said added precipitation in Oct
ober and November also would be welcome
'It was pointed out that the current raln-in-
creasing project involving about 100000 acres in the
Connell area-is 10 month project from Septem-
Der through June. Only harvest montns July ana
August are exempt"
1t is all well and good to bring rains to eastern
Washington after wheat is seeded in April. Next
thought is how about the Flathead where crops
are planted during May Again Washington may
want rain after harvest is completed in August, but
wa harvest in September. .ss@
We can turn to the U. S. Congress where three
bills on rain-making are being considered. None
of these bills as far as know are particularly
mindful of problems such ours. Instead they are
concerned with the dryland areas.
We admit that the question of how widespread
rains after cloud seeding is controversial
Yet changing the moisture pattern to the con-
venience of dryland farmers to the east, but more
especially to the west where our weather comes
from, is of great local concern
1t is an economic problem for the Flathead's
farmers, loggers, resort facilities and dam con-
struction workers for that matter.
The problem concerns the whole county, and
not just the agricultural committee of KalispelTs
Chamber of Commerce that fortunately has kept
its teeth in the situation. MR.