Scientists involved in an investigation of the ecological health of the Sierra Nevada will update the public on their findings Tuesday, Feb. 21, at UC Davis. The researchers are part of the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, a scientific assessment of the famous mountain range that has been increasingly jeopardized by human activities. The project aims to provide information that will help scientists and policy-makers preserve the beauty and ecological diversity of the Sierra, and the economic stability of those who make a living from the mountains. Among the topics to be addressed are analyses of old-growth forests, rangeland and watershed areas, the diversity of vertebrate wildlife, and economic conditions. "This is a chance for the public not only to learn about the project but to comment on the information we are gathering," says team leader Don Erman, a UC Davis professor of wildlife, fish and conservation biology, and director of the UC Davis-based Centers for Water and Wildland Resources. The meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Freeborn Hall.