August 11, 2000

The Honorable William Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
Washington DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing as scientists and natural resource professionals who are deeply concerned about the management of the 11.5 million acres of public lands that comprise the national forests of the Sierra Nevada and the Modoc Plateau. It is imperative that the Forest Service adopt a land management plan that takes into account the best scientific information available.

We encourage your administration to carefully consider the FSEEE-sponsored plan, submitted to the Forest Service by Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE). Their plan deserves your careful consideration for a number of reasons:

1) The FSEEE plan seeks to address pressing problems associated with unsustainable land management practices. Dramatic declines in populations of native fishes and amphibians, the disruption of natural disturbance regimes, and the loss of critical habitat for wildlife that inhabit old-growth forests, oak woodlands, and other terrestrial ecosystems, all indicate the need for significant new directions in land management. The Forest Service planning process now underway provides an outstanding opportunity to adopt a science-based plan to address these problems.

2) The FSEEE plan offers a landscape/ watershed-based management strategy that aims to restore the ecological integrity of entire watersheds, not just riparian areas or instream habitat. We encourage you to take steps to restore degraded watersheds and associated natural ecological processes and functions. We further encourage you to conduct watershed analyses as the basis for informed decision-making and take steps to reduce road densities, maintain adequate riparian buffers, and strengthen mitigation measures related to dams and other water developments.

3) The FSEEE plan proposes an extensive new system of designated national forest lands that would be managed to maintain, restore, and enhance ecological values and conserve biological diversity. We encourage you to include remaining late successional and old-growth forests, ecologically significant areas (as identified by the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project), roadless areas, and rare and declining plant communities in this system of public lands. The important role that these lands play in maintaining the biotic integrity of the Sierra Nevada must be preserved.

4) The FSEEE plan provides for a high level of landscape connectivity to ensure viable populations of wildlife that utilize the structural elements found in late successional and old-growth forests. We encourage you to maintain these key structural elements (large, old trees, large snags, large down wood, and hardwoods) in at least 50 percent of the general forest lands and to implement projects that will restore these structural elements throughout the Sierra Nevada and the Modoc Plateau. We also encourage you to coordinate with adjacent public and private landowners to promote a high level of landscape connectivity.

5) The FSEEE plan recognizes that natural disturbances, such as fire, play a vital role in maintaining the long-term health of forest and range ecosystems. Historic fire regimes in the Sierra Nevada and the Modoc Plateau have been significantly altered during the 20th century. We encourage you to adopt a regional approach that restores fire's natural role within ecosystems and across landscapes, reduces the risk of fire at the urban-wildland interface, and focuses fire suppression efforts in areas where substantial threat to human life and property may exist.

6) Finally, a scientifically sound monitoring program is needed for assessing the adequacy of the plan's conservation measures. The FSEEE plan proposes to track indicators of ecosystem health, population trends for rare and declining species, and other factors. This information can be used to evaluate and adjust land management activities for the purpose of restoring and maintaining the ecological integrity of the Sierra Nevada and the Modoc Plateau.

We believe the legacy of the past requires a significant departure from current management if we are to preserve and restore the rich natural heritage of the Sierra Nevada. We encourage you to emphasize a conservative approach to forest, watershed, and wildlife management. With so much at stake in the Sierra Nevada - and recognizing that we understand so little about how to maintain the ecological integrity of entire landscapes - we further believe that erring on the side of caution provides the best course of action.

In sum, we ask that you exercise decisive leadership to bring about a new era of ecosystem-based management in the Sierra Nevada and the Modoc Plateau. As a step in this direction, please direct the Forest Service to take a good, hard look at the recommendations offered in the FSEEE-sponsored plan.

Sincerely,

K. R. Aalto, Ph.D.
Professor of Geology
Humboldt State University, California

Joe F. Ammirati, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Botany
University of Washington

William L. Baker, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Geography and Recreation
University of Wyoming

Bruce G. Baldwin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Integrative Biology/Curator, Jepson Herbarium
University of California at Berkeley

Sandra Anne Banack, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
California State University, Fullerton

Burton V. Barnes, Ph.D.
Stephen H. Spurr Professor of Forest Ecology
University of Michigan

Richard W. Baumann, Ph.D.
Professor of Zoology
Brigham Young University

Paul Beier, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Forestry
Northern Arizona University

Craig W. Benkman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
New Mexico State University

William B. N. Berry, Ph.D.
Professor of Earth and Planetary Science
University of California at Berkeley

Carol L. Boggs, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Conservation Biology
Stanford University

Ida I. Bowers, Ph.D.
Professor of Geography
California State University, Stanislaus

R. James Brown, Ph.D.
Director, Institute of Chemical Biology
University of San Francisco

Peter Brussard, Ph.D.
Professor of Conservation Biology
University of Nevada, Reno

Jack H. Burk, Ph.D.
Professor of Botany and Plant Ecology
California State University, Fullerton

Steven W. Buskirk, Ph.D.
Professor of Zoology and Physiology
University of Wyoming

Michael L. Cain, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
New Mexico State University

Jot D. Carpenter, FASLA
Professor of Landscape Architecture
The Ohio State University

W. Dean Carrier
Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Forest Service (Retired)

C. Ronald Carroll, Ph.D.
Director, Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia

Ted Case, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of California at San Diego

Oliver Chadwick, Ph.D.
Professor of Soils
University of California at Santa Barbara

Mark A. Chappell, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Biology
University of California at Riverside

James S. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology, Duke University
Vice President for Science, Ecological Society of America

Martin L. Cody, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of California at Los Angeles

Charles T. Collins, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
California State University, Long Beach

David L. Connell
Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Forest Service (Retired)

Joseph A. Cook, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Walter R. Courtenay, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor of Zoology Emeritus
Florida Atlantic University

Joel Cracraft, Ph.D
Curator, American Museum of Natural History
Adjunct Professor, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University

Todd A. Crowl, Ph.D.
Aquatic Ecologist, Ecology Center
Utah State University

Kurt M. Cuffey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography
University of California at Berkeley

Robert R. Curry, Ph.D.
Research Director, Watershed Institute, and Research Professor
University of California at Santa Cruz, and California State University, Monterey Bay

J. Hall Cushman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Sonoma State University, California

Gretchen C. Daily, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
Stanford University

Diane W. Davidson, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of Utah

++ Frank W. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Science and Management
University of California at Santa Barbara

Margaret B. Davis, Ph.D.
Regents Professor of Ecology
University of Minnesota

Stephen D. Davis, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Biology
Pepperdine University, California

Dennis E. Desjardin, Ph.D.
Mycologist and Professor of Biology
San Francisco State University

James E. Deacon, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor, Department of Environmental Studies
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

J. E. de Steiguer, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Watershed Management Program
The University of Arizona

James S. Diana, Ph.D.
Aquatic Ecologist, School of Natural Resources and Environment
University of Michigan

++ Michael F. Diggles
Geologist
U.S. Geological Survey

Andy Dobson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Conservation Biology
Princeton University

Jim W. Dole, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Chair, Biology Department
California State University, Northridge

Jeff Dozier, Ph.D.
Dean, Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
University of California at Santa Barbara

++ Timothy P. Duane, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Planning and Policy
University of California at Berkeley

Christopher P. Dunn, Ph.D.
Director of Research
The Morton Arboretum, Illinois

Anne H. Ehrlich
Senior Research Associate
Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University

Paul R. Ehrlich, Ph.D.
Bing Professor of Population Studies and Professor of Biological Sciences
Stanford University

Steven D. Ellsworth, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Science
Sierra Nevada College, Lake Tahoe

++ Don C. Erman, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
University of California at Davis

++ Nancy A. Erman
Specialist Emeritus, Aquatic Ecology
University of California at Davis

James A. Estes, Ph.D.
Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Adjunct Professor, University of California, Santa Cruz

Jonathan P. Evans, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
University of the South

John Faaborg, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Missouri at Columbia

Paul Faulstich, Ph.D.
Professor and Convenor of Environmental Studies
Pitzer College, California

Erica Fleishman, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
Stanford University

Robert Fogel, Ph.D.
Curator of Fungi/Professor of Biology
University of Michigan

Gene S. Fowler, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist and Associate Professor of Biology
Pomona College, California

Paul L. Gersper, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pedology
University of California at Berkeley

J. Whitfield Gibbons, Ph.D.
Professor of Ecology
University of Georgia and the Savannah River Ecology Lab

Barrie K. Gilbert, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
Utah State University

Frank B. Golley, Ph.D.
Research Professor, Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia

Malcolm S. Gordon, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology, Department of Organismic Biology, Ecology, and Evolution
University of California at Los Angeles

Nancy B. Grimm, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Arizona State University

Gary D. Grossman, Ph.D.
Professor of Fish Ecology, D.W. Warnell School of Forest Resources
University of Georgia

Ed Grumbine, Ph.D.
Director, Sierra Institute
University of California Extension

Steven Hamburg, Ph.D.
Forest Ecologist and Ittleson Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Brown University

David G. Hankin, Ph.D.
Professor of Fisheries
Humboldt State University, California

Frances M. Hanzawa, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Pomona College, California

Susan Harrison, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
University of California at Davis

John Harte, Ph.D
Professor of Environmental Science
University of California at Berkeley

Lorin Hatch, Ph.D.
Aquatic Ecologist
University of Minnesota

Mark Hay, Ph.D.
Harry and Linda Teasley Professor of Environmental Biology
School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology

Robert G. Healy, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Policy
Nicholas School of Environment, Duke University

Gene S. Helfman, Ph.D.
Professor, Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia

Lamont C. Hempel, Ph.D.
Hedco Chair in Environmental Studies and Director of Environmental Programs
University of Redlands, California

Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D.
Curator of Ichthyology, Texas Memorial Museum
University of Texas at Austin

David B. Herbst, Ph.D.
Research Biologist
Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, University of California

Norman Herr, Ph.D.
Professor of Science Education
California State University, Northridge

Mark Hixon, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Zoology
Oregon State University

Karen D. Holl, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
University of California at Santa Cruz

Donald Holtgrieve, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Planning and Director, Office of Watershed Projects
California State University, Chico

Tim Holtsford, Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Biological Sciences
University of Missouri at Columbia

Michael H. Horn, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
California State University, Fullerton

Robert W. Howarth, Ph.D.
David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Cornell University

Robert M. Hughes, Ph.D.
Regional Aquatic Ecologist
Dynamac Corporation

Malcolm Hunter, Jr., Ph.D.
Libra Professor of Conservation Biology
University of Maine

David W. Inouye, Ph.D.
Director, Conservation Biology Graduate Program
University of Maryland

Daniel H. Janzen, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of Pennsylvania

Robert L. Jeanne, Ph.D.
Professor of Entomology, Zoology, and Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Peter A. Jordan, Ph.D.
Professor of Wildlife Biology and Management
University of Minnesota

James R. Karr, Ph.D.
Professor of Fisheries and Zoology
University of Washington

++ Richard Kattelmann, Ph.D.
Research Hydrologist
Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, University of California

J. Boone Kauffman, Ph.D.
Riparian and Wetlands Ecologist, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Oregon State University

Les Kaufman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Boston University

Peter B. Kaufman, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Biology
University of Michigan

James C. Kelley, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Science and Engineering
San Francisco State University

Harvey M. Kelsey, Ph.D.
Research Geologist
Humboldt State University, California

Patricia L. Kennedy, Ph.D,
Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology
Colorado State University

Diana N. Kimberling, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
University of Washington

++ Lynn S. Kimsey, Ph.D.
Professor of Entomology and Director, Center for Biosystematics
University of California at Davis

James W. Kirchner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
University of California at Berkeley

Richard L. Knight, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology
Colorado State University

++ G. Mathias Kondolf, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Planning and Geography
University of California at Berkeley

Harold Koopowitz, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of California at Irvine

Timothy P. Krantz, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Environmental Management
University of Redlands, California

Arthur R. Kruckeberg, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Botany
University of Washington

William Z. Lidicker, Jr.
Professor of Integrative Biology Emeritus
University of California at Berkeley

Ken Lindeman, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Coastal Research and Education, Inc.

Richard L. Lindroth, Ph.D.
Professor of Ecology
University of Wisconsin

David M. Lodge, Ph.D.
Professor of Aquatic Ecology
University of Notre Dame

Carol Loeffler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Dickinson College, Pennsylvania

Michael E. Loik, Ph.D.
Physiological Ecologist, Department of Environmental Studies
University of California at Santa Cruz

Michael Lynch, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of Oregon

James A. MacMahon, Ph.D
Professor of Biology
Utah State University

Michael M. Martin, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Biology
University of Michigan

John Marzluff, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Wildlife Science
University of Washington

Paul E. Maslin, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences
California State University, Chico

Joy Nystrom Mast, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Forest Biogeography
Northern Arizona University

Theodore R. McDowell, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor of Geography
California State University, San Bernardino

James B. McGraw, Ph.D.
Professor and Conservation Biologist
West Virginia University

Elliot McIntire, Ph.D.
Professor of Geography
California State University, Northridge

Robert J. Meese, Ph.D.
Research Ecologist, Information Center for the Environment
University of California at Davis

Gary K. Meffe, Ph.D.
Editor, Conservation Biology
Adjunct Professor, University of Florida

Don J. Melnick, Ph.D.
Professor, Anthropology and Biological Sciences, Columbia University
Executive Director, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation

John Menge, Ph.D.
Professor of Plant Pathology
University of California at Riverside

Richard W. Merritt, Ph.D.
Professor of Entomology and Fisheries and Wildlife
Michigan State University

Donald B. Miles, Ph.D.
Ecologist, Department of Biological Sciences
Ohio University, Athens

Brian Miller, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Conservation Biology
Denver Zoological Foundation

W. L. Minckley, Ph.D.
Aquatic Ecologist and Professor, Department of Biology
Arizona State University

Richard A. Minnich, Ph.D.
Professor of Geography, Department of Earth Sciences
University of California at Riverside

Joseph C. Mitchell, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
University of Richmond, Virginia

Harold Mooney, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Biology
Stanford University

Thomas E. Moore, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of Michigan

++ Peter B. Moyle, Ph.D.
Professor of Fish Biology
University of California at Davis

Ted D. Murphy, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
California State University, Bakersfield

Henry R. Mushinsky, Ph.D.
Herpetologist, Graduate Director and Professor of Biology
University of South Florida

John A. Musick, Ph.D.
Head, Vertebrate Ecology and Systematics Programs
Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Ken Nagy, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Biology
University of California at Los Angeles

Gretchen B. North, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Occidental College, Los Angeles

Reed F. Noss, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist, Conservation Science, Inc.
President, Society for Conservation Biology

Ronald A. Nussbaum, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of Michigan

Walter C. Oechel, Ph.D.
Director, Global Change Research Group, and Professor of Biology
San Diego State University

Ram Oren, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of the Environment
Duke University

Lewis W. Oring, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental and Resource Sciences
University of Nevada, Reno

David W. Orr, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Environmental Studies
Oberlin College, Ohio

Ken N. Paige, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology
University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign

Albert J. Parker, Ph.D.
Professor of Geography
University of Georgia

V. Thomas Parker, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
San Francisco State University

Robert Patterson, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
San Francisco State University

Dennis R. Paulson, Ph.D.
Director, Slater Museum of Natural History
University of Puget Sound, Washington

David A. Perry, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Ecosystem Studies and Ecosystem Management
Oregon State University

Lars Pierce, Ph.D.
Professor of Earth Systems Science and Policy
California State University, Monterey Bay

David Pimentel, Ph.D.
Professor of Ecology and Agricultural Sciences
Cornell University

Stuart L. Pimm, Ph.D.
Professor of Ecology
Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University

Edwin P. Pister
Executive Secretary
Desert Fishes Council

Gary A. Polis, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Science and Policy
University of California at Davis

Roger A. Powell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Zoology and Wildlife
North Carolina State University

Mary E. Power, Ph.D.
Professor of Integrative Biology
University of California at Berkeley

Mary V. Price, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of California at Riverside

Ron Pulliam, Ph.D.
Regent's Professor, Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia

Walter V. Reid, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
Seattle, Washington

James A. Roberts, Ph.D., CEP
Geographer and Resource Planner
Global Environmental, Sacramento, California

Steven Rogstad, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
University of Cincinnati

William H. Romme, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Fort Lewis College, Colorado

John T. Rotenberry, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
University of California at Riverside

Stephen I. Rothstein, Ph.D.
Professor of Zoology
University of California at Santa Barbara

Samuel R. Rushforth, Ph.D.
Professor of Conservation Biology
Brigham Young University

Larry L. St. Clair, Ph.D.
Professor of Botany
Brigham Young University

Ann K. Sakai, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of California at Irvine

John O. Sawyer, Ph.D.
Vegetation Ecologist and Professor of Botany
Humboldt State University, California

Joshua P. Schimel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Soil and Ecosystem Ecology
University of California at Santa Barbara

William H. Schlesinger, Ph.D.
James B. Duke Professor of Biogeochemistry
Duke University

Stephen H. Schneider, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences
Stanford University

++ Mark Schwartz, Ph.D.
Editor, Biological Conservation, and Plant Ecologist Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California at Davis

Thomas A. Scott, Ph.D.
Wildlife Conservation Specialist
University of California at Berkeley

Rebecca R. Sharitz, Ph.D.
Professor of Botany
University of Georgia

William D. Shepard, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
California State University, Sacramento

Jack W. Sites, Jr. Ph.D.
Professor of Zoology and Curator of Herpetology
Brigham Young University

John Skillman, Ph.D.
Environmental Biologist
California State University at San Bernardino

Whendee L. Silver, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Ecology
University of California at Berkeley

Andrew T. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Arizona State University

Thomas B. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
San Francisco State University

Robert R. Sokal, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolution
State University of New York at Stony Brook

Michael Soule, Ph.D.
Science Director
The Wildlands Project

George R. Spangler, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
University of Minnesota

Peter B. Stacey, Ph.D.
Conservation Biologist
University of New Mexico

Robert J. Steidl, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Renewable Natural Resources
University of Arizona

Steven J. Steinberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Natural Resource Planning
Humboldt State University, California

Robert W. Sterner, Ph.D.
Professor and Head, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
University of Minnesota

Glenn R. Stewart, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Margaret M. Stewart, Ph.D.
Director, Program in Biodiversity, Conservation and Policy
State University of New York at Albany

Philip Stoddard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Florida International University

++ Victoria Sturtevant, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology/Anthropology
Southern Oregon University

Brian K. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences
Arizona State University

John W. Terborgh, Ph.D
James B. Duke Professor of Environmental Science and Botany
Duke University

David W. Tonkyn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Clemson University

Howard F. Towner, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

Bert A. Tribbey, Ph.D.
Professor of Aquatic Ecology
California State University, Fresno

Steve Trombulak, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
Middlebury College, Vermont

Charles H. Trost, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Curator of Ornithology
Idaho State University

++ Dean L. Urban, Ph.D.
Landscape Ecologist
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

Richard R. Vance, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
University of California at Los Angeles

Stephen P. Vives, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Georgia Southern University

Edward G. Voss, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Botany and Curator Emeritus
University of Michigan Herbarium

Peter Walker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Geography
University of Oregon

Diana H. Wall, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
Colorado State University

Donald M. Waller, Ph.D.
Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Hartmut S. Walter, Ph.D.
Professor of Geography
University of California at Los Angeles

William E. Walton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Entomology and the Conservation Biology Program
University of California at Riverside

Philip S. Ward, Ph.D.
Professor of Entomology
University of California at Davis

Peter Warshall, Ph.D.
Ecologist/Consultant
Editor, Whole Earth Magazine

Joel Weintraub, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
California State University, Fullerton

Stephen G. Weller, Ph.D.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of California at Irvine

Charles E. Williams, Ph.D.
Editor, Natural Areas Journal
Forest Ecologist, Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Ellen Wohl, Ph.D.
Professor of Geology
Colorado State University

David M. Wood, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
California State University, Chico

George M. Woodwell, Ph.D.
Director
The Woods Hole Research Center, Massachusetts

Jianguo (Jingle) Wu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology
Arizona State University, West Campus

++ Qingfu Xiao, Ph.D.
Hydrologist, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources
University of California at Davis

++ Ronald M. Yoshiyama, Ph.D.
Research Associate in Fisheries Biology
University of California at Davis

Frederick W. Zechman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
California State University, Fresno

++ Robert Zomer, Ph.D.
Landscape Ecologist, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources
University of California at Davis

(and others)

Note: Affiliations are provided for identification purposes only.
++ Denotes science team member, consultant, or contributor to the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project

CC: Al Gore, Vice President of the United States
Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture
George Frampton, Director, Office of Environmental Policy, CEQ
Jim Lyons, Under Secretary of Agriculture
Michael Dombeck, Chief of the Forest Service
Jim Furnish, Deputy Chief, National Forest System
Brad Powell, Regional Forester, Pacific Southwest Region
Kent Connaughton, Project Manager, Sierra Nevada Framework