FINAL DRAFT: Bristol Bay: Salmon VS. Gold

Far, far away from urban cities, skyscrapers, power plants, rush hour traffic, and suburban sprawl, is the untouched virgin wilderness of Alaska, particularly the Bristol Bay region. This region is home to the Bristol Bay fisheries, a diverse habitat of wildlife, and unique communities that live a subsistence lifestyle off the land. Roughly the size of the state of Ohio this region has 34 million acres of what the Bristol Bay Native Corporation calls, “black sand beaches, mountain ranges, lowland tundra, wetlands, abundant flora and fauna, and many wild and scenic rivers. Lake Iliamna, located in the North of the region, is the largest freshwater lake in Alaska” (3). Increasingly less attention is being paid to this pristine environment and more attention is being directed at what is underneath this complex tangle of ecosystems. The Bristol Bay area is on the verge of becoming the newest gold rush. One mining company, Northern Dynasty Minerals, has proposed to establish a mine in the area and has valued the region to be worth over $100 billion dollars in minerals and precious metals. The proposed mine is called the Pebble Mine and come under close scrutiny and debate. Although the Pebble Mine would create new jobs and potentially billions of dollars it should not be built because of the negative impact it will have on the Bristol Bay Fisheries, the environment, and the culture of the surrounding areas.

The economy of Bristol Bay, like the rest of the state of Alaska, is unique when compared to the rest of the United States. Because of the abundant natural environment and plentiful natural resources, this region supports itself on the renewable resources that can be gathered from the land. Besides the jobs provided by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation and the government, the majority of the people who live in this area make their living from commercial and subsistence fishing. The Alaska Department of Fish and game reported that in the 2007 fishing season 31, 615, 500 fish were caught in Bristol Bay. The Department of Fish and Game also reported that from the amount earned in the 2007 fishing season was $108,325,697. For the 8,000 residents, the human population as reported by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, of this vast region, fishing supplies them with their livelihood and is a staple of the economy. The entire economy is based on the yearly fish yield (1).

The Pebble Mine Project is proposed by Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian based company that has conducted exploratory drilling in the Bristol Bay region since 2004 (Northern Dynasty Minerals, 1). In a report to potential investors, Northern Dynasty Minerals described the Pebble mine as ‘attractive’ to partners and stated that “Alaska is open for business “because of its “track record for permitting large scale mines” (Mikitchook 2005). Northern Dynasty Minerals also reported that the construction of the Pebble Mine would create 2,000 construction jobs for Alaskans and 1,000 permanent jobs. Also, the Pebble Mine Project promises to, “generate economic benefits and jobs for three to four generations” (Truth About Pebble). The introduction of this new industry to the Bristol Bay region would diversify the local economy and create news jobs. The diversification of the economy would mean that that region would not have to rely strictly on fishing.


Subsistence fishing has been the livelihood of the Bristol Bay region long before Alaska was a state, even before the United States was a country. The Pebble Mine promising to provide jobs for three to four generations is trite compared to the long history Bristol Bay and its people have had with fishing. Also, the people of the Bristol Bay region have been subsisting off the land for generations. The materials the Pebble Mine would mine are nonrenewable and would eventually run out. The duration a metal mine can sustain production ranges from 10-15 years (Power 2). Also the introduction and application of new technology is constantly replacing mine workers with machines (Power 2). Mines also decrease the socioeconomic status of communities and regions, hindering the economy, because economic development near mines is rare (Power 2). The fish caught by the Bristol Bay fisheries, however, are a renewable resource and regenerate every year.

Bristol Bay is home to one of the most pure, untouched natural environments in the world. The minimal human impact in the area has caused it to remain wild and to be a haven for plants and animals. It also is home to two of the largest freshwater lakes in Alaska, Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark. These lakes are connected to Bristol Bay by multiple rivers. Upper Talarik Creek flows into Lake Iliamna which then flows into the Kvichak River and into Bristol Bay (Sherwonit). The Koktuli River flows into the Mulchantn River and the Mulchant River meets up with the Nushagak River before ending in Bristol Bay (Sherwonit). This system of rivers is very important to the environment of the area and the yearly spawning of salmon in the area. Northern Dynasty Minerals has proposed the location of the Pebble mine to be at the headwaters of Upper Talarik Creek and the Kvichak River. April Dembosky from Mother Jones reported that, the Pebble Mine requires a large amount of water for it to function; it also will create hazardous waste that has the potential to run-off into ground water and the rivers. She also stated that the Pebble mine is reported to be capable of producing, “3 billion tons of waste replete with cyanide, arsenic, and mercury, all in a pristine Alaskan watershed critical to the state's salmon and trout fisheries” (Mother Jones 2).

The monumental impact that the mine could have on the environment and the river system of Bristol Bay could cause major problems to the health, the wildlife and the people that live downriver from the mine. Historically large mines have had devastating effects on the environment and the health of people who live around them. If the plan goes through, Northern Dynasty Minerals hopes to, “build the largest open pit mine in North America” (Northern Dynasty Minerals 4). This mine will also come with processing facilities and a tailing pond. The tailing pond will hold all of the toxic waste produced by the mine forever. The next part of Northern Dynasty Minerals plan is to build a 75 mile industrial road which as will cross miles of very crucial salmon spawning streams and rivers (Bristol Bay Alliance). This road is planned to be in use for 30 years, and is very likely to affect the streams and the local environment. The Bristol Bay Alliance also reports that the blasting from the construction and everyday use of the mine will affect the streams and bodies of water in the area, because the location of the mine is in a ‘high wind area’ which will cause excess debris to blow into the water. The mine will also impact essential salmon spawning areas such as the drainages of the Mulchatna and Kvichak Rivers. University of Washington Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Thomas P. Quinn, argued at the Pacific Marine Expo 2007 that was held Nov. 16-18 in Seattle that “certain direct impacts are that unpaved roads will fail, that culverts will erode and become impassible, chemicals will spill, people will make mistakes and trivial fines will be a small cost of doing business” (Bauman 2007).

For salmon to successfully spawn and reproduce they need to return to the river that they were born in. The process salmon go through when spawning is very complex. Salmon can migrate up to 50 days and 50 kilometers to reach their final spawning grounds (Young, 2007). Since Bristol Bay has one of the largest salmon fisheries in the world, the rivers that empty in to it (the Kvichak, Koktuli, Mulchant, Nushagak, and Upper Talarik Creek) are all vital to the survival of the salmon. If there is a change in the chemical makeup and flow of these rivers there will be a change in the salmon and the salmon population size. Since the people of Bristol Bay and environment rely on salmon for survival, any altercation in the rivers would have drastic effects. Also, an accidental chemical spill or run-off could ruin the environment of the area and cause lasting irreversible damage.

Northern Dynasty Minerals has made many statements regarding the environmental impact of the Pebble Mine on its official website. The company says that it will follow all state laws regarding the environment and that it will also leave it up to the state government to inspect and make sure that these regulations are met. However, if the Pebble Mine is constructed, there is likelihood that more mines will be constructed in the region, creating a mining district with huge environmental impacts and implications. The authorization of the construction of the Pebble mine is a threat not only to the area that it will occupy and the areas it approximates, but also to the rest of the state.

Like the economy and environment, the Bristol Bay region also has a unique culture. The Native people that live in the area live in small close-knit villages and live modest subsistence lifestyles. The role of the environment and fishing is crucial to their culture. The construction of a huge mine will have a great impact on the lifestyles of the villages. These unique and indigenous cultures that are so closely linked to the environment are endangered by companies like Northern Dynasty Minerals because they pose a threat to very aspect of their way of life. If the Pebble Mine is constructed it will have a substantial affect on the culture of Bristol Bay.

Environmental and cultural concerns aside, the debate over the construction of the Pebble Mine is fiercely political. The permit process for the construction of mines in the state of Alaska has fallen under close scrutiny because of the Pebble Mine. Gabrielle LeDoux, a state representative for House District 36 and co-chair of the House Committee on Community and Regional Affairs said, “The problem with the argument of letting the permitting process take its course is that this argument assumes that we actually have in this state a rigorous permitting process. Unfortunately, our previous governor, Frank Murkowski, ‘gamed’ the system in favor of development, regardless of its affect on the environment…The existing fishing industry and the residents of the area deserve a permitting process based on sound science and a full and open public process” (Bristol Bay Times 551). To make matters more complicated the Association of ANCSA Regional Corp. Presidents and CEOs and the Alaska Federation of Natives joined to file a suit against the new mining initiatives proposed to protect fisheries from toxins produced by mines. The initiatives were proposed to stop the construction of the Pebble Mine. The Native groups claim that the initiatives are unconstitutional. James Halpin reports the Native corporations claim the, “initiatives violate federal law because they would prevent Native corporations from developing their mineral resources.” Halpin elaborates on the proposed initiatives explaining that they “would ban releasing a toxic pollutant in a measurable amount that will affect human health or welfare or any stage of the life cycle of salmon into surface or underground water. They would also prohibit mines from storing or disposing of mining waste or tailings that could release acids, dissolved metals, toxic pollutants or other compounds to waters used by people or by salmon” ( Anchorage Daily News 2007).



The jobs and revenue the Pebble mine will generate can in no way compare to the the assets that the Bristol Bay region already has. As being home to one of the largest salmon fisheries in the world and millions of square miles of untouched wilderness, Bristol Bay already has a profitable and renewable industry that complements its culture and subsistence way of life. Despite the environmental promises made by Northern Dynasty LTD, lawmakers like Gabrielle LeDoux sum up the risks associated with the construction of the pebble mine perfectly by stating, “no matter how many promises are made relating to safety of the operation, there is always the possibility of human error or natural disaster. After all, they said the Titanic was unsinkable” (Bristol Bay Times 551). Endangering the last wild salmon fishery and the pristine environment of the Bristol Bay region by constructing one of the largest mines in North America up river is illogical and very dangerous. The economy, environment, and culture of Bristol Bay need to be acknowledged and protected.




References
Alaska. Dept. of Fish and Game Division of commercial Fisheries. Bristol Bay Fisheries. Alaska: Alaska Dept. or Fish and Game. 19 Sept. 2007 http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/finfish/salmon/bbay/brbpos07.pdf

Bauman, Margaret. “Pebble prompts Seattle debate” The Alaska Journal of Commerce. 19 Nov. 2007

Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Our Land. 2007.

Canada. Northern Dynasty Minerals, Pebble Mine. 5 Nov 2007.

Dembosky, April (May/June 2006). Minions of Midas. Mother Jones 31, Retrieved October 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost Research Database (21301342)

Halpin, James. “Native groups sue state to try to halt Pebble ballot initiatives.” The Anchorage Daily News. 20 Nov. 2007

LeDoux, Gabrielle. “Re-examining the state's mine permit process.” The Bristol Bay Times. 26 Oct. 2007 story 551

Mikitchook, Andrew. (2005 Oct). Pebble Deposit: Misunderstood and Under evaluated. Westwind Partners Inc, Retrieved October 28, 2007. Form Google Scholar Database (http://www.northerndynastyminerals.com/i/pdf/NDM_2005-10-03_Westwind.PDF)

Opdyke, Jeff D. “In Alaskan Battle, a money manager decided to go green.” Wall Street Journal Mar. 2007. 249. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. http://search.epnet.com.

Power, Thomas Michael. “The Role Of Metal Mining in the Alaskan Economy.” Southeast Alaskan Conservation council and Northern Alaska environmental c enter. (2002): par 8, http://www.seacc.org/Publications/MetalMiningReport.doc

Sherwonit, Bill. (2001 Jul/Aug). Alaska: A Peak Experience. National Parks 75, Retrieved October 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost Research Database (4751183)

Truth About Pebble. Jobs and Benefits of Alaskans. 2006-2007. http://www.truthaboutpebble.org/AboutPebble/JobsForAlaskans/tabid/562/Defaul t.aspx

Young D, Woody C. (June 2007). Dynamic In-Lake Spawning Migrations by Female Sockeye Salmon. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, Retrieved November 9, 2007, from EBSCOhost Research Database (24976995)

workshop of Donna's Research Paper Second Draft

Rough Draft #2
Workshop Questions

Overall
1. What do you like best about the paper? Be specific.

I liked the topic and how the author presents evidence from both sides of the argument.
I also like the scientific explanations.

2. Email the author and ask for one particular concern that s/he had about the draft. Examine that area and see if you can offer the author helpful suggestions.

The author said, “My concern is that I haven't paraphrased well enough, and I will be
accused of plagiarism.” What I will do is copy/paste the parts that seem to be missing a citation or that do not seem paraphrased, and then you can look them over and decide what to do with them.
and Thesis
3. Does the author clearly express his/her opinion of the topic in the thesis? What argument does the thesis make?

The Thesis is unclear and hard to understand, I had to reread it a few times just to see what it was saying. What I gathered from it was that the argument was something about how scientists need to study and discuss global warming more, and El Nino and La Nina. I would advise the author to talk to the professor about her thesis.

4. What group of people agrees with the author? What group disagrees with the author?

Well if the argument is about the causes of global warming, than big businesses that pollute would argue that global warming is caused by nature. Likewise, environmentally concerned people would agree with the author and argue that global warming is caused by humans. And if the main argument is over whether global warming is real or not, I’m pretty sure the same groups of people would be on both sides.

5. Does the paper have an argumentative thesis statement using ALTHOUGH and BECAUSE?
Yes.

Content
6. On a scale of 1 to 10, how interesting did you find this paper to read? Be brutally honest! (Friends don’t let friend turn in boring essays!)

The topic of the paper and most of the information was interesting. However, the paper was really scattered and choppy which made it hard to read. Basically it was hard to follow and lost my interest because of that, I’d give it 5.

7.Where can the author more fully develop ideas, either by providing examples or explaining/clarifying concepts for the reader? Be specific (e.g. “the 3rd is dullsville”; “the conclusion is really vague”).

The author needs to clarify the point of the essay in the introduction! Also, the author asks questions throughout the essay like, “What is El Nino and its companion La Nina” and then answers them. I think the author should leave out the question part and just state and explain what she is trying to say because then her paper would be more straightforward.

8.What kinds of objections might someone who disagrees with the author’s point of view raise? If there are none, go back to #3.

I’m not 100% sure what the thesis is but from the paper I gathered that the author is against global warming and thinks people need to change their lifestyles to prevent it. Which also shows that she believes global warming is caused by man made factors.
If this is what the author is trying to express through her paper then she has done a good job because in the essay she represents both sides of the argument.

9.Has the author dealt with these objections?

For the most part, yes.

10.Is the relationship between each paragraph and the thesis clear? If not, what suggestions do you have for the author to improve the connection?

The author needs to clarify the thesis. Once she has done that maybe the reader will be able to see the connections between the paragraphs and the thesis. However, all the paragraphs do relate to the topic.

Style
11. Are there easy transitions from one paragraph to the next, or does the author jump from topic to topic?

The transitions are not smooth; the author could work on clarifying them. Also some of the paragraphs are really short and I think they should be combined with other paragraphs.

12. Does the opening of the essay capture the reader’s attention? How so? If not, what suggestions can you make that might strengthen the opening?

Like I’ve said before the opening confused me and the thesis confused me. The first thing I did after I read them was reread them. To strengthen the opening that author should clarify it because if the reader doesn’t understand the opening of an essay they most likely will not read it to the end.

13. Does the concluding paragraph serve to bring the discussion to an end that logically follows from the thesis and its direction?

I don’t like how there is a question in the conclusion; I think that it should be replaced by a statement. Also in the conclusion the author does not tie together all of the points that were made in the thesis and elaborated on in the body of the essay. Because of this it feels like nothing was concluded at the end of the essay.

Research
14. How many different sources are cited in the paper (don’t look at Works Cited or References (depending if it's MLA or APA); look at the parenthetical citations. The medium does not matter.)

These are the citations that I found in the paper:
(I think some of these are cited wrong. They aren’t supposed to be that long, the author will want to look back at the book and fix it. The ebscohost references are cited wrong and the reference page needs to be listed in alphabetical order.)
(http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=24534949&site=ehost-live)
(http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=26050935&site=ehost-live)(http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=2610364&site=ehost-live)(http://www.aninconvenienttruth.co.uk/)
(http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=th&AN=26588396&site=ehost-live).
(IPCC)
(WMO),
(UNEP).
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/science/earth/02arct.html?_r=2&ei=5089&en=ca0a4e166facc160&ex=1349064000&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1194497963-vVyBBw8IyudGNoq2aWvkFg)(http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fih&AN=000909&site=ehost-live).(IARC),
(March 2007)
(http://people.iarc.uaf.edu/~sakasofu/pdf/Why_has_global_warming.pdf)(http://ww.ipcc.ch/about/about.htm)
(Climate Prediction Center/NCEP/NWS (2007 Sep 6)

15. Does the author rely heavily on just 1 or 2 sources, or does the author equally use all of the sources to support the paper’s thesis?

The author uses many sources equally, she does not rely on just a few over the other.

16. Does the author have more quotes in his/her paper than personal opinion?

No, the author only uses three or four quotes. The rest that is not cited I assume is personal opinion.

17. Are there any sources listed on the Works Cited or References that are not cited within the body of the essay? (This is a no-no)

I couldn’t find this reference cited in the paper, either I just missed it or the author didn’t cite it. She should double check.

McDonald, J. (2007 November) Wired News, China Signals Rejection of Emission Caps. Website:http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/C/CHINA_GLOBAL_WARMING?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-11-09-07-20-13

18. Is all the information retrieved from research, including opinion, ideas, paraphrases, quotes, and statistics, cited with in-text (parenthetical) citations? If not, list specifics of what needs to be cited (friends don’t let friends turn in plagiarized papers).

Here is some stuff that I found that might need to be cited. I’ll let the author decide. I’ll just bring it to your attention just in case ;)

“In contrast, La Nina is the opposite affect on the ocean that El Nino has. The ocean has cooler than normal temperatures between South America and the Dateline. The trade winds are stronger and push colder water the surface. This leads to less formation of rain clouds and can account for drier conditions in some places. Alaska can expect to see unusually colder winters.”

“Records in existence are not as accurate, nor is there as much data as scientists would like to have. However, they have recorded 23 El Ninos and 15 La Ninas in the past 98 years. Scientists have also seen four of the ten strongest El Ninos occur since 1980. Experts believe that these weather patterns change the rainfall and temperatures from decade to decade. Scientists now use Supercomputers for a method of predictions called climate modeling. Watching simulated climate changes using oceanic and atmospheric physics, then programming in real world information to see it the computer generated results”

“Global warming is being watched by experts all over the planet, not all of the results or conclusions are being reported the same however. Scientists all agree that a period of warming is occurring in the north, but they disagree about the causes. There is a variance of opinions on whether global warming is caused by human modification, or does the natural climate system exhibit this trend of cooling and warming, as El Nino and La Nina.”

“It is interesting to note that in a meeting with 80 nations that occurred in Indonesia to discuss emission reductions and binding caps on greenhouse gasses, China was adamant in not agreeing. They believe that developing countries should be exempt as they are attempting to fight poverty through industrialization. China believes that developed countries have caused climate and global warming, and that they should be the ones to take the responsibility for emission reductions” -----
----*What meeting was this?

19. All quotes in research papers should be commented upon. Does the author comment after every quote? If not, help the author decide what the underlying reason behind putting the quote in the paper was.

Here are all the quotes that I found in that paper. Most of them are cited, but for the ones that aren’t I’ll let the author decide how to cite them (because I feel that they are all relevant to the paper and should not be deleted.)

Dr. William Gray a US hurricane forecaster from Colorado State University noted that the strength of the 1997 El Nino was not anticipated by any prediction models. “We still have a very long way to go, but progress is being made and the forecast of the early arrival of this El Nino is testimony to that."

“Planetary emergency”
---* Does this need to be in quotations?

The IPCC goes on to say that “continental warming likely shows a significant anthropogenic ,originating with human activity, contribution over the past 50 years”…and “most of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. Discernible human influences now extend to other aspects of climate, including ocean warming, continental average temperatures, temperature extremes, and wind patterns”

“Ice that is disappearing is multi-year pack ice as opposed to first-year ice which forms each fall and thaws at the end of winter.”

IPCC document uses the term “very likely”

Dr. Akasofu has trouble with the term “most”, His rhetorical question is “Do all the participating scientists agree on the term “most”? If they do, what are their scientific bases?”

I hope that I haven’t come across as sounding over-critical and rude, I just want you to ace your final draft! My biggest advice would be to just email the Prof. about your thesis. I hope this helped!






DONNA'S BLOG: http://dkrxox.blogspot.com/2007/11/2nd-draft-research-paper-warming-oceans.html

Final Draft Solution Essay: Drop the Drop Date

Before a student enrolls in a college course the only information they know about the course is what they read from the course description and hear from friends and other students. To fully understand the requirements of the course one must actually experience it first hand. The first few weeks of class is not enough time to fully understand what the course will be like; one needs to take at least one major test and try one major project to get the full experience. Although the drop date for dropping classes is set to give students time to asses whether they are prepared for the course that they are enrolled in, the college administration should push the drop date back further because it would give students enough time to fully experience the requirements of the class, to test out what the class is like, and to decide if they should drop the class or not in a larger time frame.

At the University of Alaska Fairbanks the drop date to drop classes is two weeks after the beginning of the semester. A drop date is the date in which one can withdrawal from a course and receive a full refund. There are also later drop dates that give a partial refund or no refund. Two weeks does not give the students enrolled enough time to see the whole picture of what the course is like and what is required of the student to complete the course and learn the material. Since most classes only meet three to four times a week, based on the current drop date system, students only have about seven classes to decide whether they are prepared to take the course and can handle the requirements.

A solution to the drop date being to early in the semester is to move it back or to eliminate it. One might argue that this solution would be a hassle for teachers and administrators but students pay a lot of money for college, therefore the college should cater to the needs of the students, not the other way around. Also, for students, balancing education and ones personal life proposes a challenge. Unforeseen events can take place in a student’s life that hinders their ability to complete a course and force them to withdrawal. If the date a student withdraws is past the drop date they loose hundreds of dollars. A student should not be penalized for having to withdraw or drop a class. Students should be able to drop classes with no financial consequence if they are in situation that dictates for them to drop a class. If the drop date was just simply moved back the student-body of UAF would greatly benefit because then students would not be forced to take courses they registered for that they were unknowingly not qualified to take. This would raise the average GPA at UAF and increase the graduation rate, which would intern raise the universities national standing. By moving the drop date back further and possibly eliminating it the students and the university as a whole will benefit greatly.

An example of how a drop date that is set too soon affects a student is a student failing a course because they were not prepared to take it. Consider a student that enrolls in a math class. The first two weeks are a review of the pervious level of math. The student will do well during this time and decided that they are able to take the class. Then the drop date passes and new information is taught in the class. The student becomes overwhelmed by the new information and ends up falling behind and possibly failing the course because of it. If the drop date had been later in the semester the student would have had enough time to asses that they were not qualified for the course and could have switched into a lower level of math; because the drop date was set too soon they are stuck in a course that they are not qualified to take. This situation applies to all the subjects being taught at UAF.

The purpose of a drop date is to give students a time frame of when to make their final decisions in the courses chose to enroll in. A drop date that is set too soon has drastic effects on student and their education process. The University needs to cater to the needs of student and reassess the withdrawal and drop dates to fit the needs of the student body. UAF has a high failure rate and a low graduation rate, if the drop dates were properly assigned this would increase the number of student that pass classes and make it graduation.

Second Rough Draft Research Paper: Bristol Bay: Salmon VS Gold

Far, far away from urban cities, skyscrapers, power plants, rush hour traffic, and suburban sprawl, is the untouched, virgin wilderness of Alaska; particularly the Bristol Bay region. This region is home to the Bristol Bay fisheries, a diverse habitat of wildlife, and unique communities that live a subsistence lifestyle off the land. Roughly the size of the state of Ohio this region has 34 million acres of, what the Bristol Bay Native Corporation calls, “black sand beaches, mountain ranges, lowland tundra, wetlands, abundant flora and fauna, and many wild and scenic rivers. Lake Iliamna, located in the North of the region, is the largest freshwater lake in Alaska.” Increasingly less attention is being paid to this pristine environment and more attention is being directed at what is underneath this complex tangle of ecosystems. The Bristol Bay area is on the verge of becoming the newest gold rush. Northern Dynasty Minerals, a mining company, has proposed a Pebble Mine in the area and has valued the region to be worth over $100 billion dollars in minerals and precious metals. Although the Pebble Mine would create new jobs and potentially billions of dollars it should not be built because of the negative impact it will have on the Bristol Bay Fisheries, the environment, and the culture of the surrounding areas.

The economics of Bristol Bay, like the rest of the state of Alaska, is unique compared to the rest of the United States. Because of the abundant natural environment and plentiful natural resources, this region supports itself on the renewable resources that can be gathered from the land. Besides the jobs provided by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation and the government, the majority of the people who live in this area make their living from commercial and subsistence fishing. The Alaska Department of Fish and game reported that in the 2007 fishing season 31, 615, 500 fish were caught in Bristol Bay. The Department of Fish and Game also reported that from the amount earned in the 2007 fishing season was $108,325,697. For the 8,000 residents, the human population as reported by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, of this vast region, fishing supplies them with their livelihood and is a staple of the economy. The entire economy is based on the yearly fish yield.

The Pebble Mine Project is proposed by Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian based company that has conducted exploratory drilling in the Bristol Bay region since 2004 (“Automatically”). In a report to potential investors, Northern Dynasty Minerals described the Pebble mine as “attractive” to partners and stated that “Alaska is open for business“ because of its “Track record for permitting large scale mines.” (Mikitchook 2005). Northern Dynasty Minerals also reported that the construction of the Pebble Mine would create 2,000 construction jobs for Alaskans and 1,000 Permanent jobs. Also, the Pebble Mine Project promises to, “generate economic benefits and jobs for three to four generations” The introduction of this new industry to the Bristol Bay region would diversify the local economy and create news jobs; directly from the Pebble Mine and indirectly. The diversification of the economy would mean that that region would not have to rely strictly on fishing.

Subsistence fishing has been the livelihood of the Bristol Bay region long before Alaska was a state, even before the United States was a country. The Pebble Mine promising to provide jobs for three to four generations is trite compared to the long history Bristol Bay and its people have had with fishing. Also, the people of the Bristol Bay region have been relying on the land, in a subsistence fashion, for survival for generations. The materials the Pebble Mine would dig for are nonrenewable and would eventually run out. The duration a metal mine can sustain production ranges from 10-15 years (Power 2). Also the introduction and application of new technology is constantly replacing mine workers with machines (Power 2). Mines also decrease the socioeconomic status of communities and regions, hindering the economy, because economic development near mines is rare (Power 2). The fish caught by the Bristol Bay fisheries, however, are a renewable resource and regenerate every year.

Bristol Bay is home to one of the most pure natural environments in the world. The minimal human impact in the area has caused it to remain wild and to be a haven for plants and animals. It also is home to two of the largest freshwater lakes in Alaska, Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark. These lakes are connected to Bristol Bay by multiple rivers. Upper Talarik Creek flows into Lake Iliamna which then flows into the Kvichak River and into Bristol Bay (Sherwonit). The Koktuli River flows into the Mulchantn River and the Mulchant River meets up with the Nushagak River before ending in Bristol Bay (Sherwonit). This system of rivers is very important to the environment of the area and the yearly spawning of salmon in the area. Northern Dynasty Minerals has proposed the location of the Pebble mine to be at the headwaters of Upper Talarik Creek and the Kvichak River. April Dembosky from Mother Jones reported that, the Pebble Mine requires a large amount of water for it to function; it also will create hazardous waste that has the potential to run-off into ground water and the rivers. She also stated that the Pebble mine is reported to be capable of producing, “3 billion tons of waste replete with cyanide, arsenic, and mercury, all in a pristine Alaskan watershed critical to the state's salmon and trout fisheries.”

The monumental impact that the mine could have on the environment and the river system of Bristol Bay could cause major problems to the health of fishing, the wildlife, and the people that live downriver from the mine. Historically large mines have had devastating effects on the environment and the health of people who live around them. The plan for the Pebble Mine is to, as Northern Dynasty Minerals puts it, “build the largest open pit mine in North America.” This mine will also come with, processing facilities and a tailing pond. The Tailing pond is a “compensation” pond that will hold all of the toxic waste produced by the mine forever. The next part of Northern Dynasty Minerals plan is to build a 75 mile industrial road, which as reported by the Bristol Bay Alliance, will cross miles of very crucial salmon spawning streams and rivers. This road is planned to be in use for 30 years, and is very likely to affect the streams and the local environment. The Bristol Bay Alliance also reports that the blasting from the construction and everyday use of the mine will affect the streams and bodies of water in the area, because the location of the mine is in a “high wind area.” The mine will also impact the drainages of the Mulchatna and Kvichak Rivers. University of Washington Professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, Thomas P. Quinn, argued at the Pacific Marine Expo 2007 that was held Nov. 16-18 in Seattle that “Certain direct impacts are that unpaved roads will fail, that culverts will erode and become impassible, chemicals will spill, people will make mistakes and trivial fines will be a small cost of doing business.”

For salmon to successfully spawn and reproduce they need to return to the river that they were born in. The process salmon go through when spawning is very complex. Salmon can migrate up to 50 days and 50km to reach their final spawning grounds (Young, 2007) Since Bristol Bay has one of the largest salmon fisheries in the world, the rivers that empty in to it, the Kvichak, Koktuli, Mulchant, Nushagak, and Upper Talarik Creek are all vital to the survival of the salmon. If there is a change in the chemical make up and flow of these rivers there will be a change in the salmon and the salmon population. Since the people of Bristol Bay and environment rely on salmon for survival, any altercation in the rivers would have drastic effects. Also, an accidental chemical spill or run-off could ruin the environment of the area, and cause lasting, irreversible damage.

Northern Dynasty Minerals has made many statements regarding the environmental impact of the Pebble Mine on its official website. The company says that it will follow all state laws regarding the environment and that it will also leave it up to the state government to inspect and make sure that these regulations are met. However, if the Pebble Mine is constructed, there is likelihood that more mines will be constructed in the region, creating a mining district with huge environmental impacts and implications. The authorization of the construction of the Pebble mine is a threat not only to the area that it will occupy and the areas it approximates, but also to the rest of the state.

Like the economy and environment, the Bristol Bay region also has a unique culture. The Native people that live in the area live in small close-knit villages and live modest subsistence lifestyles. The role of the environment and fishing is crucial to their culture. The construction of a huge mine will have a great impact on the lifestyles of the villages. These unique, indigenous cultures that are so closely linked to the environment are endangered by companies like Northern Dynasty Minerals because they pose a threat to very aspect of their way of life. If the Pebble Mine is constructed it will have a substantial affect on the culture of Bristol Bay.

Environmental and cultural concerns aside, the debate over the construction of the Pebble Mine is fiercely political. The permit process for the construction of mines in the state of Alaska has fallen under close scrutiny because of the Pebble Mine. Gabrielle LeDoux, a state representative for House District 36 and co-chair of the House Committee on Community and Regional Affairs said in an article written for Alaskan newspapers, “The problem with the argument of letting the permitting process take its course is that this argument assumes that we actually have in this state a rigorous permitting process. Unfortunately, our previous governor, Frank Murkowski, "gamed" the system in favor of development, regardless of its affect on the environment…The existing fishing industry and the residents of the area deserve a permitting process based on sound science and a full and open public process.” To make matters more complicated the Association of ANCSA Regional Corp. Presidents and CEOs and the Alaska Federation of Natives joined to file a suit against the new mining initiatives proposed to protect fisheries from toxins produced by mines. The initiatives were proposed to stop the construction of the Pebble Mine. The Native groups claim that the initiatives are unconstitutional. Anchorage Daily News reporter James Halpin states the Native corporations claim the, “initiatives violate federal law because they would prevent Native corporations from developing their mineral resources.” Halpin elaborates on the proposed initiatives explaining that they “would ban releasing a toxic pollutant in a measurable amount that will affect human health or welfare or any stage of the life cycle of salmon into surface or underground water. They would also prohibit mines from storing or disposing of mining waste or tailings that could release acids, dissolved metals, toxic pollutants or other compounds to waters used by people or by salmon.”

The jobs and revenue the Pebble mine will generate can in no way compare to the the assets that the Bristol Bay region already has. As being home to one of the largest salmon fisheries in the world and millions of square miles of untouched wilderness, Bristol Bay already has a profitable, renewable industry that complements its culture and subsistence way of life. Despite the environmental promises made by Northern Dynasty LTD, lawmakers, like Gabrielle LeDoux sum up the risks associated with the construction of the pebble mine perfectly by stating, “No matter how many promises are made relating to safety of the operation, there is always the possibility of human error or natural disaster. After all, they said the Titanic was unsinkable.” Endangering the last wild salmon fishery and the pristine environment of the Bristol Bay region by constructing one of the largest mines in North America up river is illogical and very dangerous. The economy, environment, and culture of Bristol Bay need to be heeded and protected.


References
Alaska. Dept. of Fish and Game Division of commercial Fisheries. Bristol Bay Fisheries. Alaska: Alaska Dept. or Fish and Game. 19 Sept. 2007 http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/finfish/salmon/bbay/brbpos07.pdf

Bauman, Margaret. “Pebble prompts Seattle debate” The Alaska Journal of Commerce. 19 Nov. 2007

Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Our Land. 2007. <http://www.bbnc.net/our_land/>

Canada. Northern Dynasty Minerals, Pebble Mine. 5 Nov 2007. <http://www.northerndynastyminerals.com/ndm/Home.asp>

Dembosky, April (May/June 2006). Minions of Midas. Mother Jones 31, Retrieved October 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost Research Database (21301342)

Halpin, James. “Native groups sue state to try to halt Pebble ballot initiatives.” The Anchorage Daily News. 20 Nov. 2007

LeDoux, Gabrielle. “Re-examining the state's mine permit process.” The Bristol Bay Times. 26 Oct. 2007 story 551

Mikitchook, Andrew. (2005 Oct). Pebble Deposit: Misunderstood and Under evaluated. Westwind Partners Inc, Retrieved October 28, 2007. Form Google Scholar Database (http://www.northerndynastyminerals.com/i/pdf/NDM_2005-10-03_Westwind.PDF)

Opdyke, Jeff D. “In Alaskan Battle, a money manager decided to go green.” Wall Street Journal Mar. 2007. 249. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. http://search.epnet.com.

Power, Thomas Michael. “The Role Of Metal Mining in the Alaskan Economy.” Southeast Alaskan Conservation council and Northern Alaska environmental c enter. (2002): par 8, http://www.seacc.org/Publications/MetalMiningReport.doc

Sherwonit, Bill. (2001 Jul/Aug). Alaska: A Peak Experience. National Parks 75, Retrieved October 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost Research Database (4751183)

Truth About Pebble. Jobs and Benefits of Alaskans. 2006-2007. http://www.truthaboutpebble.org/AboutPebble/JobsForAlaskans/tabid/562/Defaul t.aspx

Young D, Woody C. (June 2007). Dynamic In-Lake Spawning Migrations by Female Sockeye Salmon. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, Retrieved November 9, 2007, from EBSCOhost Research Database (24976995)

workshop of Wendy's SOLUTION ESSAY.

Solution Essay Workshop Questions
Thesis:
1. Restate the thesis in your own words. If the thesis is a question and not an assertion, make it an assertion. Make sure the words “although” and "because" are in it.
Although the K-8 schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District are traditional they should be replaced by magnet schools because there is a large number of children whose academic needs are not met by the current school system, the learning environment of magnet schools is more nurturing and balanced, and magnet schools focus on the individual academic needs of the child.

2. Does the thesis state the author's position on a controversial topic? Is it at the end of the first paragraph?
Yes, the thesis states the author’s position. The position calls for a drastic change to the education system in Fairbanks so it is controversial. It is also stated at the end of the first paragraph as required.

Reasons:
List below the author's reasons for holding his or her position. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.The reasons are all stated in the thesis and expanded on in the body of the essay, and they are:
1. the current school system in Fairbanks leaves children behind and does not meet their academic needs.

2. The environment of magnet schools is nurturing and balanced. (I suppose by this the author means traditional schools are not nurturing and balanced.)

3. Magnet schools provide a better learning environment because they focus on the students needs on an individual basis.

Audience:
Who is the author's audience? Do they already agree with the author, or is the author writing to the opposition? How can you tell? Give specific examples.
The author’s audience would be the citizens of the Fairbanks Borough, which would include parents, teachers, students, and school board members. The author would be writing to the opposition because the position she brings up goes against the norm and calls for a complete change in the way the school district operates. “In the author’s own words her argument calls for, “Transitioning all the K-8 grade schools into magnets school.” Which many people would view as a radical idea.

Counterargument:
List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper (there should be at least three). Does the author adequately address these arguments? Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? Do you see any logical fallacies?
1. A counter argument to the authors first point would be that the Fairbanks school district DOES meet the needs of its students. However, the example the author uses in the second paragraph addresses this. Another counter argument to the author’s first point is that the Fairbanks school district does not need to cater to individual students, they should adapt to the current system. This counter argument to this is not addressed in the essay.

2. The author’s second point is, “magnet schools provide a nurturing environment that add balance through both the academics and the arts.” I guess the counter argument to this would be that they do not. Or, the counter argument could call the author to provide proof of this, which the author does when she explained the experience her son had in a magnet school.

3. The author’s third point is that magnet schools are balanced and focus on individual students and “provide the best learning experience” for the students. A counter argument to this would be that they do not. The author addresses this by providing examples of how balanced and focused on individuals magnet schools are.

The author does not bring up specific examples of what is wrong with traditional schools, she only points out general things. Is this because it is assumed that the general knowledge is that public schools need to be “fixed?”

Title:
Does the paper have an interesting title? If not, help author come up with one.
The rough draft title is just “Magnet Schools.” The author could use “Magnet Schools VS Traditional Schools.” Or something along those lines.

Introduction:
Is there a catchy lead sentence? What is it? If there isn't one, what would you suggest?
Yes, the lead sentence IS catchy, I liked it! But who is Mary Jean-Le Tendre? Maybe the author could say who she is.

Conclusion:
How does the author conclude the paper? What do you think of it?
In the conclusion the author says, “…keep the teachers from growing stagnant by teaching the same subject everyday.” Was this ever elaborated on in the body paragraphs? Was it even in the body paragraphs? I think it is a good point and should be touched on more in the essay and not just the conclusion. Besides that, the conclusion was okay it just didn’t feel like it ended. I think the conclusion needs to be more concluding. (Yes, I know I sound like a crazy person for saying that) but the conclusion did not make a clear, authoritative ending. If it did the paper would be near perfection!

Flow/Transitions:
Does each paragraph expand upon the thesis? Do the paragraphs flow? Which paragraphs have bumpy transitions?
The paragraph flow and the transitions are smooth. The only thing I would point out to the author is the sentence at the end of the fourth paragraph, “I feel that the public school system could follow in the footsteps of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and keep the science theme alive throughout the school district as well.” I was confused by this. Maybe rewording it would clarify it.

I had never heard of magnet schools before I read this. Good paper, I enjoyed it! I hope my workshop helped.

Wendy's blog: http://fnwlb.blogspot.com/2007/11/solution-paper-first-draft-magnet.html

workshop of Brian's paper (rough draft research paper)

Rough Draft #1 Workshop Questions
Overall
1. What do you like best about the paper? Be specific.
I really like the topic and how the author shows both sides of the debate. Also, I like all the facts the author uses, most of them were very interesting.

2. Email the author and ask for one particular concern that s/he had about the draft. Examine that area and see if you can offer the author helpful suggestions.
Brian said, “My biggest concern about the essay is that I did not put enough information in the paper. There are so much information that I did not want to over load the reader.”
My suggestion is that you add more information. The information you used in this draft was good. I am sure that you can decide which information is relevant to your thesis and which is not, and go from there and incorporate the information into your paper.

Thesis
3. Does the author clearly express his/her opinion of the topic in the thesis? What argument does the thesis make?
The thesis for this paper is Although bottled water presents the illusion of a high quality healthy product, the benefit and production process has generated great concern because of the quality differences between bottled water and tap water, the production costs of bottled water compared to tap water, and damage to the environment. I think the author’s opinion that is expressed in the thesis is that bottled water consumption “generates great concern“ which may not be what the professor is looking for. I would advise him to double check and see if his thesis is correct just to be sure. The thesis states the counter argument to the assumption that bottled water is healthy and of high quality; it also states the environmental concerns associated with bottled water consumption.

4. What group of people agrees with the author? What group disagrees with the author?
People who care about where their water comes from and the quality of their water would agree with the author’s concern. The people in disagreement with the author either are apathetic to the topic, or believe that people do not need to be concerned about their water supply or the affects of the mass consumption of bottled water.

5. Does the paper have an argumentative thesis statement using ALTHOUGH and BECAUSE?
Yes.

Content
6. On a scale of 1 to 10, how interesting did you find this paper to read? Be brutally honest! (Friends don’t let friend turn in boring essays!)
I found this paper to be a 5 at the beginning, an 8 at middle, and a 5 at the end. I think the introduction was a little deflated, the author can add so much more to it to make it really intriguing. Also, the conclusion ended with questions which was strange, it felt like there should have been more statements in the conclusion.

7.Where can the author more fully develop ideas, either by providing examples or explaining/clarifying concepts for the reader? Be specific (e.g. “the 3rd is dullsville”; “the conclusion is really vague”).
The third paragraph is slightly hard to follow and confusing. It is so jam packed with information. I like the information though, I would not suggest you remove any of it, but you could try to rearrange it in a more clear and flowing manner. The first time I read your paper, at the end of the third paragraph I had to stop and reread just too fully understand what it was saying.

8.What kinds of objections might someone who disagrees with the author’s point of view raise? If there are none, go back to #3.
Someone might object to the need for environmental concern, that is someone who disagrees might just not care about the environment. However most logical people are not like that, so maybe this means that author’s thesis is not clearly defined? Like I said before, it seemed fine to me, but the author should definitely get a second opinion on that.

9.Has the author dealt with these objections?
The author explains the harmful environment impact bottled water has as well as the economic impact.

10.Is the relationship between each paragraph and the thesis clear? If not, what suggestions do you have for the author to improve the connection?
I found each paragraph relevant to the thesis except the part where the author talks about the “USA Today, the CEO of Nestle Waters North America branch …” I’m not sure what benefit that had to the paper. The author might want to look of it just to make sure it is relevant to his argument and thesis.

Style
11. Are there easy transitions from one paragraph to the next, or does the author jump from topic to topic?
I think the transitions were clear and the essay flowed through them.

12. Does the opening of the essay capture the reader’s attention? How so? If not, what suggestions can you make that might strengthen the opening?
I have some problems with the opening paragraph. Out of all the paragraphs in the essay, the opening has the most obvious issues. “With bottled water, a person never has to refill; they can just discard the empty bottle and open a new cold one. With tap water, a person must first find a suitable container then fill it up; all the while hoping that the water reaches that perfect temperature eliminating the need to locate ice.” The argument against tap water just seems ridiculous to me! The author needs to revise the introduction and weed out some parts of it. I may be contradicting what I said before but I think if the author had a more straight forward, clear introduction the reader could better understand the argument of the thesis.

13. Does the concluding paragraph serve to bring the discussion to an end that logically follows from the thesis and its direction?
I do not like how the author ends the paper with questions. I think he should restate his argument and restate his thesis. Also, in the conclusion the author says as the opening line, “The debate over which is better tap water or bottled water can go on forever.” Is that what the paper is about? I’m confused! What ever happened to the three points from the thesis? I think the author need to work on the conclusion.

Research
14. How many different sources are cited in the paper (don’t look at Works Cited or References (depending if it's MLA or APA); look at the parenthetical citations. The medium does not matter.)
These are the works cited in the paper that I found, (so six.)
(EPA)
(FDA)
(21 CFR)
(PET)
(EBSCO)
(Milne-Tyte)

15. Does the author rely heavily on just 1 or 2 sources, or does the author equally use all of the sources to support the paper’s thesis?
The sources are spread throughout that paper, I would say that the in general the sources are equally used. The first three though, (EPA), (FDA), (21 CFR) are used more than the other three. The author might want to look this over and assess whether he needs more sources or not.

16. Does the author have more quotes in his/her paper than personal opinion?
The quotes and opinions seem to be balanced.

17. Are there any sources listed on the Works Cited or References that are not cited within the body of the essay? (This is a no-no)
No, all the works in the reference page (as far as I can tell) are cited in the paper.

18. Is all the information retrieved from research, including opinion, ideas, paraphrases, quotes, and statistics, cited with in-text (parenthetical) citations? If not, list specifics of what needs to be cited (friends don’t let friends turn in plagiarized papers).
In the first paragraph this piece of information was not cited:
“Consumers justify the consumption of bottled water with the rising concern for the quality of municipal (tap) water and the convenience of bottled water
The bottled water industry has become a 15 billion dollar a year industry and is expected to grow.”

Later in the paper this piece was not cited either:
“The cost of tap water can vary depending on the location and the type of water source available. The average household will pay about $.002 per gallon of tap water compared to between $1.00 and $4.00 per gallon for bottled water, the cost is more for imported water. The cost that a consumer pays for bottled water is not for the water alone, the price includes labeling costs, production cost and transportation cost; all of which makes bottled water very expensive. The cost of consuming bottled water is a choice that the consumer makes. The cost that the environment pays due to the production of bottled water is much steeper“.

19. All quotes in research papers should be commented upon. Does the author comment after every quote? If not, help the author decide what the underlying reason behind putting the quote in the paper was.
“Miracle in a bottle or just another tonic?” This quote from this introduction was not cited. I am confused to whether it is the authors own quote or not.

Brian's Blog: http://bhayes1220.blogspot.com/

Workshop of Brian's Paper.

COMING SOON:
because like an idiot I workshopped a paper that someone else had already workshopped. In my defense they responded to my email and said that I could workshop their paper and answered my question. I just should have been more observant and seen that someone else had already workshopped it. So now i have confirmation from Brian that I can workshop his paper, but I can't find his blog.

hopefully I can sort this all out soon, and workshop his paper asap.

GAHH, I AM SO SORRY!!!!!