A landmark independent study of the Sierra Nevada indicates that much of the 400-mile-long mountain range is in fairly good health now, but rapid population growth, ongoing neglect, and pollution from California's Central Valley threaten Sierra forests, species diversity, and air and water quality. Presented to Congress last week, the final five-volume, 3,000-page report of the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project assessed the people, plants, animals, land, air and water of the range, which includes internationally known recreation areas such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. "There are problems, but the good news is, we can do something," says Don Erman, project science-team leader and UC Davis professor of wildlife, fish and conservation biology. "We can decide as a society to make changes now, which over time will make a substantial difference. There will be fewer choices in the future if we chose to do nothing." To launch further public discussion about management options, project scientists will discuss their findings at a public meeting June 28-29 in the main building of the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, Calif. The three-year, $6.5 million project was requested by Congress and funded primarily by the U.S. Forest Service. The report is posted on the Internet at http://ceres.ca.gov/snep or http://alexandria.sdc.ucsb.edu.