Reflective Essay A reflective essay expresses an opinion on an issue and supports it with strong arguments and relevant information. This essay is done to share material with your audience and to solidify your own views on the topic that you have selected. Think about its construction this way, that if you are looking into a mirror. The first thing you probably see is yourself looking back at you. Keep looking though and you’ll also see what’s behind you. Writing a reflective essay is similar to looking into a mirror except that instead of seeing objects reflected in the room behind you, you “see” reflections of a past experience. The most important factor to remember in writing a reflective essay is that your opinions and conclusions should directly relate to the experiences you examine in the essay body. Following is the rubric which will be used to assess this course’s essays: Essay 1 should identify the environmental issue, from your home region, outlining the problem and its root causes and consequence from a systems perspective. In this essay the system connection with both the social and economic impacts should be introduced, but will be more fully developed in essay 2. Essay 2 should expand on the systemic connections of social and economic consequences on the environmental issue. Elaborate on the local community and political perspectives. This essay should identify a personal course of action that you might take to help mitigate the problem. REFLECTIVE ESSAY RUBRIC Information 70 50 30 10 Make a claim and give reasons supporting the claim Accuracy of information I make a claim and give clear and accurate reasons to support it. I employ material from the unit of study in my claim and its support. My writing shows that I know all of the main points. I make a claim and give support, but I overlook important reasons for support of my claim My writing shows that I know most of the main points. I make a claim but it is buried, confused, or unclear. I give 1 or 2 reasons which don’t support the claim well or are confusing to my point. My writing shows that I know some of the main points. I did not make a claim or give convincing supporting reasons for my claim. My writing shows that I don’t know the main points of this material. Essay Structure 30 20 10 5 Organization and logic I organize my writing in appropriate paragraph form. The essay has a compelling opening, strong body, and logical conclusion. My work fits the unit of study in a logical way. My writing has a clear beginning, middle, and end. I generally use the appropriate paragraph format. I occasionally stretch a point beyond the unit of study in an illogical way. My writing is usually organized but sometimes gets off topic. The work has several errors in paragraph format. The work is often lacking a connecti ...

1. Reflective Essay
A reflective essay expresses an opinion on an issue and supports
it with strong arguments and relevant
information. This essay is done to share material with your
audience and to solidify your own views on the
topic that you have selected. Think about its construction this
way, that if you are looking into a mirror.
The first thing you probably see is yourself looking back at you.
Keep looking though and you’ll also see
what’s behind you. Writing a reflective essay is similar to
looking into a mirror except that instead of
seeing objects reflected in the room behind you, you “see”
reflections of a past experience. The most
important factor to remember in writing a reflective essay is
that your opinions and conclusions should
directly relate to the experiences you examine in the essay
body.
Following is the rubric which will be used to assess this
course’s essays:
Essay 1 should identify the environmental issue, from your
home region, outlining the problem and its root

2. causes and consequence from a systems perspective. In this
essay the system connection with both the
social and economic impacts should be introduced, but will be
more fully developed in essay 2.
Essay 2 should expand on the systemic connections of social
and economic consequences on the
environmental issue. Elaborate on the local community and
political perspectives. This essay should
identify a personal course of action that you might take to help
mitigate the problem.
REFLECTIVE ESSAY RUBRIC
Information 70 50 30 10
Make a claim and give
reasons supporting the
claim
Accuracy of
information
I make a claim and give
clear and accurate

3. reasons to support it. I
employ material from
the unit of study in my
claim and its support.
My writing shows that I
know all of the main
points.
I make a claim and give
support, but I overlook
important reasons for
support of my claim
My writing shows that I
know most of the main
points.
I make a claim but it is
buried, confused, or
unclear. I give 1 or 2

4. reasons which don’t
support the claim well
or are confusing to my
point.
My writing shows that I
know some of the main
points.
I did not make a claim
or give convincing
supporting reasons for
my claim.
My writing shows that I
don’t know the main
points of this material.
Essay Structure 30 20 10 5
Organization and logic I organize my writing in
appropriate paragraph
form. The essay has a
compelling opening,

5. strong body, and logical
conclusion. My work
fits the unit of study in a
logical way.
My writing has a clear
beginning, middle, and
end. I generally use the
appropriate paragraph
format. I occasionally
stretch a point beyond
the unit of study in an
illogical way.
My writing is usually
organized but
sometimes gets off
topic. The work has
several errors in
paragraph format. The
work is often lacking a
connection to the unit
of study.
My writing is aimless

6. and disorganized.
Within the work, I
frequently make
remarks that are not
relevant to the unit of
study.
Sentence fluency
(“Fluid” writing)
My sentences are clear,
complete, and of
different lengths or
styles.
I wrote well-constructed
but routine sentences.
My writing does not
have my own
“signature” to it.
My sentences are often
awkward. Some run-
ons and fragments are
making my essay

7. unclear.
Many run-ons,
fragments, and awkward
phrasings make my
essay hard to read.
Conventions I use first-person form,
and I use correct
sentence structure,
grammar, punctuation,
and spelling.
My spelling is correct
on common words.
Some errors in grammar
and punctuation.
Frequent errors are
distracting to the reader
but do not interfere with
the meaning of my
paper. My writing
includes short-hand
symbols and

8. abbreviations.
Many errors in
grammar, spelling,
capitalization, and
punctuation make my
paper hard to follow.
Example 3
Water Pollution in Butte County
For about a year and a half now I have been really
interested in sustainability. I chose to take this class because I
wanted to learn more about the environmental aspect of
sustainability. One subject we have talked about in class has
really caught my attention. This is the subject of water scarcity.
With fresh water being such a small percent of water on this
planet we really need to focus on keeping our water sources
uncontaminated and as full as possible. What I’m going to be
focusing on is the storm water drainage in Butte County and
why they may be risking our water supplies.
Storm Water Drainage systems are used in Butte County
to drain excess rain and groundwater off of paved roads,
parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. They are fed mostly by street
gutters, which are found on many busy streets throughout Butte
County. These Strom Water Drainage systems are designed to
send the storm water directly into our water supplies; for
example, Big and little Chico Creek that run through our
campus and The Sacramento River that is used as a fresh water
source all the way down to San Francisco. Sounds like a great
way to keep the water from collecting in the wrong areas and
puts them into a place where it can be used again. So, what’s

9. the problem?
In 2004 the Regional Water Quality Control Board
informed Butte County of the pollution of water supplies due to
polluted storm water draining. What happens is the storm water
doesn’t go into the water supplies in the same quality as it was
when it fell. As the rain falls and rolls across impermeable
surfaces to the drains it collects anything in its path. This
includes any pollutants that may be on the ground. Things like
cigarette butts that may have been thrown on the ground, oil
leaks on the drive ways, any kind of pesticides used on
landscapes, and even animal wasted, are all collected and sent
untreated into our water ways. These are the same waterways
that we gather fish, drinking water, and swim in daily.
In 2007 Butte County had performed their second Storm
Water Public Opinion Survey, in which they randomly selected
residents within Butte County Storm Water Management
Program’s permit area to survey asking questions relating to
water pollution and storm water management issues. In this
study they found that 84% of those surveyed, used pesticides in
the past year, 16% said they leave their pets waste while on
walks, 47% said they wash their car’s at home. (Butte County's
Second Public Opinion Survey) As we now know all of that then
gets washed into our waterways.
So, what does this polluted runoff do to the water
supplies? The United States Environmental Protection Agency
has highlighted a few major problems with polluted storm water
runoff. First off the sediment that is collected during run off can
cloud the water making it very hard for the aquatic plant life to
grow. This can even lead to the destruction of aquatic habitats.
Excess nutrients can cause the death of algae, which are very
crucial to an aquatic system. When they die and decompose at
the bottom of the water supply they can actually reduce the
amount of oxygen in the water, which could lead to death of
fish. Debris, like plastic bags, alcohol containers, and cigarettes
all wash into our waterways. These could really affect the
aquatic life. Think about the image of a dolphin’s mouth

10. trapped closed by a six pack ring; something we have all seen in
a movie or show. Think about how all this affects our swimming
areas. Bacteria and other pathogens can wash into our
swimming areas like One Mile, and cause health risks to our
children.
I have actually experienced this first hand. One day I was
visiting a section of the Big Chico Creek with my wife. It was
right across the street from the Sacramento River, which means
it would soon enter it. When we got to the water we couldn’t
believe what we saw. The water was super cloudy and brown. It
didn’t look as if it had any life in it at all. We even saw trash
lining the edge of it from visitors before us, or maybe even
through the run off.
It turns out that many people are still unaware of the
problems behind storm water pollution. The first Storm Water
Public Opinion Survey in 2005 showed that 91% did not recall
ever even hearing about storm water related messages through
media; although in 2007 the number of people aware of the
storm water messages increased to 30%. (Butte County's Second
Public Opinion Survey) However, this is still a very low
number. With the awareness so low on a problem so big we can
only imagine that people are taking any measures to reduce the
problem.
Polluted Storm Water Drainage systems are a large
problem in Butte County and all measures should be taken by
the locals to reduce the problem. Through programs like the
Butte County Storm Water Management Program and Keep
Chico Clean the county must become aware of the causes and
consequences of this issue.
Citation
"After the Storm" Home. United States Environmental
Protection Agency, 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.
<http://water.epa.gov/action/weatherchannel/stormwater.cfm>.
"Butte County's Second Public Opinion Survey." Butte

11. County.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 24Oct. 2012.
<http://www.buttecounty.net/Public%20Works/Divisions/Land%
20Development/S tormwater%20Program/~/media
/County%20Files/Public%20Works/Public%20Int
ernet/Stormwater/Second
%20Survey%20results%20narrative.ashx>.
"Butte County Storm Water Management News." Butte
County.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct.
2012. <http://www.buttecounty.net/Public%20Works/Divisions/
Land%20Development/S tormwater% 20Program/News.aspx>.
"Storm Drain." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Oct.
2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_drain>.
"Watershed-friendly Cleaning Method Tip #2." Keep Chico
Clean. Butte County Department of Public Works, n.d. Web. 24
Oct. 2012. <http://www.keepchicoclean.org/>.
Example 2: B level paper…No references cited
The Oceano Dunes are minutes away from where I grew
up. The sand dunes are the largest remaining dune system south
of San Fancisco and the second largest in California. The Dunes
are located along a beautiful stretch of land that goes 18 miles
along the coastline that extends from southern San Luis Obispo
to northern Santa Barbra. Its a very unique environment and
because of the giant mounds of sand attracts many visitors. The
Dunes are perfect for dirt bikers and people who enjoy off road
vehicle use. The dunes also are the only area in California
where people can legally drive on the beach. Every year two
million people come to the dunes and tens of thousands of
trucks and off-highway vehicles are driven on the Dunes. This
is horrible for the environment and brings up a lot of
controversy. No other location in San Luis Obispo and perhaps
no other state park generates as many environmental impacts.
The topics of controversy not only includes the delicate

12. ecosystem but air quality and littering.
One of the most worrisome conflicts concerning the
Oceano Dunes is the air pollution. Nipomo Mesa is directly
downwind of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation area
and it has the worst particulate pollution in the county. Larry
Allen who is the San Luis Obispo county air pollution control
officer says “ The Mesa is violating every state and federal
level for particulate matter on a regular basis.” The Air
Pollution Control District is beginning a yearlong monitoring
program along with experts from UC Davis to find the source of
the pollution. They are trying the determine if it is the amount
of pollution is caused by the off road vehicle use or perhaps
strong winds blowing off a large area of sand dunes. Although it
is figured it is the large amount of vehicle use.
Another concerning factor is illegal dumping by ATV’s. Many
campers instead of dumping their tank of sewage at a dumping
zone will dump their tanks into the sand. This is illegal but
many people do it because having a empty tank will decrease
the weight and increase their gas milage on the way home.
Dumping any kinds of liquid is illegal in any state park. Liquids
could leave behind many harmful pollutants. Rangers say it is
impossible to estimate how much illegal dumping goes on but
are hoping it is going down because in recent years Oceano is
now offering free dumping sites. There are also fines for
dumping and they can be up to $3,400.
In the Oceano Dunes there are a handful of endangered
birds and fish. Protecting these species is incredibly important
and is the focus of many environmentalists. There are been
lawsuits that blame the state for not protecting these species and
pleading for more protection. Two shore birds, the Western
snowy plover and the least tern nest primarily on the open sand.
This happens to be where people camp and drive their ATVs.
Park officials are trying to protect them. They have fenced off
300 acres of the park and reserve them for the birds to nest.
Preservation of these birds have been a huge undertaking for the
rangers of the dunes. A park official claims “ We have one of

13. the most cutting-edge endangered species programs in the
state”. In 1993 there were 16 nests and in 2011 there were at
total of 172. Although researchers are still worried. One of the
main worries is Memorial Day weekend because it is one of the
most popular weekends but it happens to occur during the
plover nesting season. Researchers are hoping though the birds
will sense the human presence as predators and nest outside of
the recreation area. The Sierra Club’s goal is to eventually take
the plovers off the threatened species list. They proposed year
around fencing but the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular
Recreation Area rejected it.
The Oceano Dunes provide a environment for a delicate
ecosystem but it is peril due to the popularity of tourists. 2
million people come each year and leave a impact on the
environment. The county of San Luis Obispo is doing its best to
protect the ecosystem, although its a challenge considering the
dunes are active all year. The popularity of the dunes brings in a
sufficient income and unfortunately that is more important than
closing off large fragments of the area. It has been a on going
environmental issue that is slowly becoming resolved.
Example 1
I grew up playing outside every day with my brother and
sister. I have highly fortunate to have had the childhood I did
and it is largely in part to Upper Bidwell Park. I wouldn’t have
had the open space to find tadpoles and snakes and birds or
squish my toes into the dirt or clamber over and around
boulders if Annie Bidwell had not gifted the first 1,902 acres—
the park is currently 3,670 acres one of the largest municipal
parks in the United States. In addition to supplying the children
and families of Chico with a huge area to explore Bidwell Park
is also home to many species of natural wildlife. The benefits of
having an area like Upper Bidwell Park in California could be

14. amplified because California is one of the 34 hotspots in the
world meaning that California has a diverse set of flora and
fauna (Hotspots Defined). The issue arises when this natural
haven and its occupants are threatened.
A number of prominent—and large—houses were built
along the south ridge line of Upper Bidwell Park. These houses
and their placement are the culmination of several different
oversights on part of everyone involved in each stage of the 15
year approval process. While most of the controversy is in the
disruption of the park’s view shed there are also less obvious
damages. The first is that in the development of these houses,
which are located in Canyon Oaks a gated community above
California Park, may be encroaching on the land gifted to the
city by Annie Bidwell. John Scooling, a retired attorney and
hiker who lives in Canyon Oaks, has been investigating the
boundary line between the park and the subdivision. In the
original deed, from 1905, and a U.S. Geological Survey done in
1951 the boundary line is virtually the same. However in
comparison to the subdivision maps the boundary is farther
north. That would mean that these houses that are “set back”
from the park boundary line are really right next to the
boundary or encroaching on the park land. Not only does this
dishonor the park it is also sets a dangerous precedent for the
future of the park and the wildlife that live there (Speer).
One of the major threats to wildlife is habit loss. Habit
loss can occur in three different forms habitat destruction,
fragmentation, or degradation. Destruction is when the habitat
is destroyed directly. Fragmentation is when the habitat is split
up, or fragmented, into pieces which make the quality of the
habitat decline, possibly to the point where the specie cannot
survive. Or perhaps the environmental change is too great for
the specie to adapt to. Degradation is when the systems
involved in an ecosystem are change, invasive species are
introduced, or pollution changes the ecosystem enough so that
native species are no long supported. One of the main drivers of
habitat loss is land conversion for development (Wildlife

15. Conservation).
This makes the repercussions of the new houses on the
south rim of Upper Park not just about aesthetics. With the
expansion of Chico homes and increased traffic to Upper Park
new species are introduced to the park. Human activities bring
most non-native species either by foot traffic or intentional
planting. These new species can become invasive since the
native species are not use to the added pressure the new species
will exert. These invasive species can reduce the overall
biodiversity. New exotic plants planted in gardens in Canyon
Oaks could escape and quickly spread into the park. This will
affect the ecosystem within the park and possibly drive out the
native species.
In addition the new houses decrease the overall size that
the wildlife can live in. This creates more fragmentation which
puts more pressure on migratory species. There is less
continuous habitat for these species to roam. Included in this
habitat loss is an increased edge effect which pushes the species
into an even smaller area (Guardino). While Bidwell Park is
already fairly isolated further isolation or encroachment into the
habitat will only put more pressure on the species currently
living there and potentially have disastrous outcomes on
biodiversity. The more land taken from the park the less healthy
the ecosystem.
The increased pressure on our local habitats is only a small
part of a larger issue that is happening all over the world.
Habitat loss and decreases in biodiversity is a small part of the
overall health of our planet. If we can keep our local
ecosystems healthy then perhaps we can begin to change the
direction of our planet and increase biodiversity and suitable
habitats as opposed to our current direction of loss.
Works Cited
Guardino, Josephine. "Bidwell Park In Peril." Bidwell Park in
Peril. Friends of Bidwell Park, Fall 2005. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.friendsofbidwellpark.org/bpinperil.html>.

16. "Hotspots Defined." Hotspots Defined. Conservation
International, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.conservation.org/where/priority_areas/hotspots/Pa
ges/hotspots_defined.aspx>.
Speer, Robert. "Unwanted Neighbors." Chico News & Review.
CN&R, 27 July 2006. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.newsreview.com/chico/unwanted-
neighbors/content?oid=86337>.
"Wildlife Conservation." National Wildlife Federation. National
Wildlife Federation, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Threats-
to-Wildlife/Habitat-Loss.aspx>.