Module 2 - Case CONSTRUCTING PRELIMINARY DRAFTS OF A PAPER AND SLIDE PRESENTATION Case Assignment • o Case Initiate a working draft with an introduction to the chosen topic

Module 2 - Case CONSTRUCTING PRELIMINARY DRAFTS OF A PAPER AND SLIDE PRESENTATION Case Assignment • o Case Initiate a working draft with an introduction to the chosen topic. For this Case Assignment, do the following: 1. Do not submit more than 4 pages of your first draft. This can include your Introduction section, for example. Your writing skills will be reviewed and critiqued. Beginning an introduction and draft can sometimes appear difficult. For example, you may find yourself writing and rewriting a sentence or paragraph while questioning the choice of words. To get started, review Step 6: Write the Introduction from the Required Sites. In this review, you will learn about: (a) The Grabber—or Lead, (b) The Transitional Sentence, and (c) The Thesis Statement (compare with that from Brizee, A. and Tardiff, E., 2013). 2. Submit your thesis statement. Your statement should be (a) at the end of the first paragraph (introduction), (b) logical and convincing, and (c) supported by a quotation. Remember that you must support your claims with quotations properly cited. With every citation, you must supply a reference at the end. Assignment Expectations Length: This Case Assignment should be 4 pages not counting the title page and references. References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are acceptable. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking). Use your own words and build on the ideas of others. When material is copied verbatim from external sources, it MUST be enclosed in quotes. The references should be cited within the text and listed at the end of the assignment in the Reference section (preferably in APA format). Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question. Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity. Module 2 - Background CONSTRUCTING PRELIMINARY DRAFTS OF A PAPER AND SLIDE PRESENTATION Required Reading APA Style PowerPoint presentations. (n.d.). Bennett College. http://libraryguides.bennett.edu/home/library-tutorials/apastyle-presentations Evaluating internet resources: An annotated guide to selected resources. (2017). Business Reference Services, Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/beonline/selectbib.html General format. (2020). Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_sty le/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html Tips and examples for writing thesis statements. (2020). Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_pr ocess/thesis_statement_tips.html What is peer review? (2020). San Diego State University. https://library.sdsu.edu/reference/news/what-does-peerreview-mean Writing a research paper. (2020). Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writi ng_assignments/research_papers/index.html Required Websites APA Style Help Online: http://www.apastyle.org/apa-style-help.aspx Trident University’s Introduction to APA-7th Edition: https://careered.libguides.com/tui/library/apa MODULE 1 CA 1 1 Selecting A Topic/Constructing an Outline/Choosing References Name Institutional Affiliation MODULE 1 CA 1 2 Selecting A Topic/Constructing an Outline/Choosing References Causes, Effects, and Mitigation Measures of Wildfires in the state of California Geographical Region The study will be based in the state of California. The state of California is found in the western United States. To the north, the state is bordered by Oregon and the Mexican state of Baja to the south. To the East, the State of California is bordered by Nevada and the Pacific Ocean to the West. The Southeastern part of California borders the state of Arizona. The State of California has a population of over 39.5 million residents, and the area covers approximately 163,696 square miles (Dixon, Tsang, & Fitts, 2020). California is the most populous state in the United States and the third-largest American state by area. California also boasts of being the largest populated subnational State in North America and is one of the most populous regions in the world. Almost every year, the state of California is faced with a series of wildfires that have devastating effects on the environment and communities that live in the state (Sung, 2020). These fires have the effect of displacing California citizens from their homes as it destroys their houses and property. The enormous smoke leads to poor air quality. The area also experiences extreme heat conditions and other consequences of wildfires. How do I State the Capstone topic clearly and succinctly? To state the Capstone topic or narrow down the thesis statement clearly and succinctly, I will use focus statements that will keep me on track as I explore my topic and delve into research. Focus statements include what I am researching, what I want to understand better, and what my paper hopes to uncover about the topic. How do different points discuss relate to the subject? How do various parameters about the topic work? Why is the phenomenon happening? MODULE 1 CA 1 3 What gaps exist in the debates about the issue, and what is missing from the current research and understanding of the topic? For example, my capstone topic would be. I am researching the wildfires in California to understand better how the fires affect California's state. This paper hopes to uncover the devastating effects of wildfires and how California can prepare, mitigate, and recover from the natural disaster of wildfires. My paper will also discuss the relationship between wildfire risks and the insurance market. I will also look at the different approaches the State of California has put in place to counter wildfires and further discuss the emergency preparedness of the people of California in dealing with wildfires. I will also discuss the major causes of wildfires in the State of California and why they are so rampant in the region. Lastly, the paper will point out the gaps that exist in the current research on wildfires. What do I consider the most exciting and relevant portions of the topic? To develop the exciting bits and relevant portions from a broad topic, I would first do background research on the topic. Knowing more about the topic of wildfires will go a long way in developing influential, fascinating, and relevant portions of the topic. I would then brainstorm the different concepts from the background research that is related to my main topic. For example, in my topic of wildfires, I would look at the causes, effects, disaster preparedness, mitigation and risk reduction measures, recovery plans, and climate change. I would also look at the general approaches that can help me better understand the question. More importantly, I would formulate research questions that are going to guide me through the paper. Some of the exciting and relevant portions of the topic on wildfires include the history of wildfires in California, the effects and causes of the problem. What measures have been put in MODULE 1 CA 1 4 place to make sure residents of California are prepared for such disasters? What are the possible solutions and mitigation measures to this problem? Are there emergency response programs for wildfire disasters? What recovery strategies had the government put in place for wildfire hazards? What is the future of wildfire research? Paper Outline The paper will be outlined as follows: I. Introduction Here I will introduce the problem or research question about Wildfires in California. I will also give some background information about the problem, the context of the study, and how significant the problem of wildfires is to the audience. Before the introduction, there will be a separate title page where I will identify myself. II. Literature Review The literature review will reveal the different themes discovered on the various sources of information I will use in this study. In addition, while writing the literature review, I will also identify the gaps in knowledge that are present in those literature sources. III. Body The body will discuss the participants of the study. The methods of data collection, their strengths and limitations, and the ethical issues that face the methods I will use to collect data. This section will also discuss the research question by stating, explaining, and supporting the points with evidence from the literature sources. IV. Recommendations and Conclusion MODULE 1 CA 1 5 This section will give some recommendations that can help find more effective solutions for the problem of wildfires. The conclusion will then summarize the main points of the paper. V. References The reference section is where I will list the sources of information that I have used in the paper. How do my ideas relate to each other? The research questions presented in this paper are related to the issue of wildfires. To better understand the subject, I will begin with a history or background of the problem. The experience will guide me in identifying the main causes of the problem. After knowing the reason, I shall proceed to the effects of the situation on California residents. Then will discuss some of the measures the government and residents of California have implemented to control, prepare, mitigate, and recover from wildfire disasters. I will also give some recommendations to manage the problem better. Is my topic of current interest and importance? The topic is of importance for the general audience, especially to the citizens and government of California. The problem of wildfires has become a global phenomenon that has seen the destruction of 6 to 14 million hectares of forests globally, which is a high rate of degradation and loss of diverse ecosystems (Moore, n.d). The people in charge of managing forest resources have time and again altered the natural fire regimes worldwide without regarding the long-term effects of their activities. Many times, the decision-makers and the general public usually seek to solve short-term recurring crises instead of developing long-term MODULE 1 CA 1 and sustainable solutions to the problem. This paper will bring knowledge to its audiences about the integrated approaches to the management of wildfires that they can use to address the underlying cause and find long-term sustainable solutions. The paper will go a long way in analyzing the issue of wildfires in California and identify the various options that can guarantee positive change. The study will also show some of the preventive measures that the county of California can invest in to counter the underlying cause of altered fire regimes. The paper will also give insights into how one can use fire to benefit as a management tool. It will also share light on the different responses that can be used to prepare for inevitable wildfires. The paper will also share how various stakeholders in the society stakeholders can partner together in fire management planning. 6 MODULE 1 CA 1 7 References Dixon, L., Tsang, F., & Fitts, G. (2020). California Wildfires Can Insurance Markets Handle the Risk? Retrieved from Rand Corporation Research Brief: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RBA635-1.html Moore, P., Myers, R., Maginnis, S., Kelleher, S., & Hardesty, J. (n.d.). Forests and Wildfires: Fixing the Future by Avoiding the Past. http://www.fao.org/3/xii/0829-b3.htm. Sung, J. H. (2020).Wildfire research in California. Environmental Health Sciences Center. https://environmentalhealth.ucdavis.edu/california-wildfire-research. MODULE 1 SLP 1 1 Selecting A Topic/Constructing an Outline/Choosing References Name Institutional Affiliation MODULE 1 SLP 1 2 Part A Wildfire in the State of California Introduction California states are among the states in the United States that have been significantly affected by wildfires. A wildfire refers to an uncontrolled fire or burning in an area covered with grasses and trees. The presence of grass, trees, and other vegetation makes wildfires spread and become more dangerous. As a result wildfires present a significant threat to the lives of people and animals, including death and severe injuries. Wildfires have been observed to occur at any time of the year but mainly happen during hot and dry weather conditions. Over the yearly occurrence of wildfires, the consequences have been dire as hundreds of people have lost their lives and thousands of homes lost to fire. The state is home to over thirty-nine million citizens with a total land area of 423,970 square kilometers. California's population and land size make it the most populated state in the US and the third-largest after Alaska and Texas, respectively. Statics further demonstrate that California is the most populated sub-national entity in Northern America (Abatzoglou et al., 2020). In addition, California is home to San Francisco Bay and the Los Angeles area, which is the most populous city in the US. With the increase in global warming and climate over the past decade, the situation has only gotten worse. The long hot and dry climates caused by global warming increase the frequency of wildfires occurring. Additionally, the regular wildfires in California also contribute to air pollution, which is a factor in global warming because of the rising of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Unless California's national and state governments develop a way of controlling wildfires, the situation is likely to worsen. Therefore, it is essential to develop strategies and measures to combat wildfires to minimize the damage caused by the fires. MODULE 1 SLP 1 3 Importance of The Topic The topic of wildfire has a significant impact on me. One reason why wildfire is essential to me is the fact that I fear them. Fires can cause substantial damage, pain, and loss. If only a slight burn on the hand while cooking can cause significant pain, imaging a massive wildfire. I always feel bad on hearing that there are people who have died from a fire. It is a pain that no one can imagine or want to go through such an experience. Another primary reason why this topic is important is that I love wild animals. The idea of hundreds of thousands or millions of acres being scorched by fire makes one imagine the number of wild animals that die from such wildfires. The number of animal deaths can be unimaginable from birds, snakes, dears, rabbits, horses, dogs, and cats. It is essential to develop strategies that will minimize the effects of wildfires. Plans, Policies, and Programs One of the policies that sought to bring hope to the issue of wildfires is the FLAME Act. Congress passed the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act of 2009 to develop a National Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy that will strive to address the issue of wildfire across all lands in the United States. Through the FLAME Act, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) established the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC), which has three primary goals: to restore and maintain landscapes, develop fire-adapted societies, and enhance wildfire retort. Some of the core values of WFLC are to reduce risks to firefighters, improve response by first responders and the public, and manage the land to prevent the spread of fire. Learning about this Act, I was thrilled that the state is doing something to address the problem in the country. MODULE 1 SLP 1 4 California has various state programs aimed at fire management and disaster recoveries at terms of state level. One of the programs is the California Environmental Protection Agency, which seeks to provide technical assistance to the first responders in recognizing and analyzing disaster-related pollution threats and hazardous waste. The state also has the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), which aims to dispatch emergency contractors upon the local or state agency's request to aid in mitigating a particular hazard. Another important program is the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which coordinates private and public sectors in providing food, water, shelter, and care to affected animals. California has various programs that seek to ensure that the people, livestock, property, animals, and environment do not suffer significant damage in a wildfire or any other disaster. Learning about these programs, one is hopeful that wildfires will soon be easily stopped and managed, preserving the environment and animals. Recent Attacks One of the most recent wildfire disasters, and probably one of the deadliest, is the 2018 wildfire season. According to an article by Professor Kane, the 2018 wildfire season can be categorized as the most destructive and most destructive wildfire in California history. Kane reports that the wildfires consumed almost 1.9 million acres, a magnitude that has never been seen in the past 50 years. According to Professor Kane, the 2018 wildfire season resulted from three factors: climate change, past fire, and forest management practices. According to the author, the increase in greenhouses produced in the past century has resulted in the rise of temperature in the state, rising by 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit. While this temperature rise may appear minimal, it can result in devastating consequences, as evident in the 2018 wildfires. MODULE 1 SLP 1 5 According to Wang, Guan, & Zhu (2018), climate change in California is one of the primary reasons why the frequency and size of wildfires have increased. The author highlights that the damage caused by the 2018 California wildfires resulted in an economic loss of about $150 billion. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (2021), in 2018, there were approximately 58,083 wildfires. This number is very huge and shows how the issue of wildfire is prevalent. It is reported that more than 18,804 structures were destroyed when the town of Paradise was wiped out. Also, it is said that more than 90 people were killed in the fires, as tens of thousands are left homeless, thus necessitating a need for action. Part B Annotated Bibliography Wang, D., Guan, D., Zhu, S., Mac Kinnon, M., Geng, G., Zhang, Q., ... & Davis, S. J. (2021). The economic footprint of California wildfires in 2018. Nature Sustainability, 4(3), 252-260. In this article, the authors discuss the economic impact of wildfires on the state of California. The costs are divided into capital losses, health care costs, and indirect losses. Additionally, the authors analyze which industries are affected the most by wildfires and their impact on the communities. From the findings, wildfires can cause havoc to any state resulting in substantial economic costs. Recovering will take time, and money and lies are significantly affected. This article is crucial to my research as it will show in detail the economic impact of wildfires. Sachdeva, S., & McCaffrey, S. (2018, July). Using social media to predict air pollution during California wildfires. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Media and Society (pp. 365-369). Sachdeva & McCaffrey discuss how social media can help predict air pollution in the event of a wildfire. Wildfires tend to cause vast amounts of smoke into the air. By encouraging California MODULE 1 SLP 1 6 residents to share any sign of smoke-related to wildfires, it can be helpful in early detection, evacuation, and response, which can limit the damage. This essay helps highlight how social media can be used to detect wildfires. Syphard, A. D., & Keeley, J. E. (2017). Historical reconstructions of California wildfires vary by data source. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 25(12), 1221-1227. The authors in this article seek to analyze historical events of wildfires in California. The authors also discuss how California has reconstructed itself over the years and how policies have changed or developed in light of the wildfires. This article will help me get an understanding of the historical wildfires of California and their impact. Herndon, J. M., & Whiteside, M. (2018). California wildfires: Role of undisclosed atmospheric manipulation and geoengineering. J Geog Environ Earth Sci Intn, 17(3), 1-18. This article seeks to analyze the cause of increased rates, intensity, and combustibility of wildfires in California. In this research, the authors seek to understand human activities such as pesticides, air-spraying chemicals, volatile organic fertilizers, and compounds on the plants and soil. This article is essential as it highlights human causes leading to wildfires and measures to reduce the same. McCarthy, N. F., Tohidi, A., Valero, M. M., Dennie, M., Aziz, Y., & Hu, N. (2020). A Machine Learning Solution for Operational Remote Sensing of Active Wildfires. In IGARSS 2020-2020 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (pp. 6802-6805). IEEE. This article seeks to propose using machine learning to find solutions on how to address wildfires. A couple of years back, machine learning and artificial intelligence have been used to learn something and make predictions, which often have high accuracy. In the same case, machine learning can be used to study these wildfires, predict them, and sense active ones. This MODULE 1 SLP 1 7 study is important as it shows how machine learning technology can help predict and mitigate wildfires. Recommendations The relevant ministries concerned with forestry conservation should implement proactive fire prevention policies that can significantly reduce wildfire ignition probability, leading to significant economic and social losses. They may include enough funding of fire prevention agencies, the formation of the emergency response team to deal with fire outbreaks and formulating bedrock environmental laws. The administration should establish fire camps in forests prone to combustion to alert necessary authorities whenever the risk arises. The administration can also limit or ban access of unauthorized citizens to the forest, and those allowed to access them should not have flammable objects or chemicals that can cause fires. Conduction of public awareness about wildfires should also be emphasized by the relevant authorities to teach the citizens on the importance of forest conservation and the different ways they can avoid wildfires. Conclusion Increased human activities and access to the forest have endangered the existence of natural forests. Human activities like clearing land for agriculture and industrial purposes have a significant effect on the climatic pattern. For example, clearing forests can reduce the number of rainfalls a region receives, leading to the drying up of vegetation. When the vegetation dries up, the rate of ignition increases and hence leading to fire outbreaks. Li and Banerjee (2021) explain that forests with roads passing through them are often wildfires than those without direct human interference. The research describes the relationship between climatic components like winds MODULE 1 SLP 1 and temperatures with wildfires. However, even the forests without roads passing through them and have no direct interference with humans are also prone to fires. The research explains that high temperatures increase fuel temperatures that may evaporate and ignite, especially in the afternoon, causing numerous fires in dried-up vegetation. Human activities that raise the surrounding temperature include a greenhouse, burning fossil fuels, and cutting down trees. These activities add enormous amounts of gases to the natural gas present in the atmosphere, hence excessive global warming. 8 MODULE 1 SLP 1 9 Other References Abatzoglou, J. T., Smith, C. M., Swain, D. L., Ptak, T., & Kolden, C. A. (2020). Population exposure to pre-emptive de-energization aimed at averting wildfires in Northern California. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9), 094046. Álvarez, C. A., & Carbajal, N. (2019). Regions of influence and environmental effects of Santa Ana wind event. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 12(9), 1019-1034. Dasari, S. (2020, October). Cerberus: A Novel Alerting System for Flood, Fire, and Air Quality. In 2020 IEEE Eurasia Conference on IOT, Communication and Engineering (ECICE) (pp. 98-101). IEEE. Gin, K., Tovar, J., Bartelink, E. J., Kendell, A., Milligan, C., Willey, P., ... & Selden, R. F. (2020). The 2018 California wildfires: Integration of rapid DNA to dramatically accelerate victim identification. Journal of forensic sciences, 65(3), 791-799. Keeley, J. E., & Syphard, A. D. (2019). Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fueldominated vs. wind-dominated fires. Fire Ecology, 15(1), 1-15. Li, S., & Banerjee, T. (2021). Spatial and temporal pattern of wildfires in California from 2000 to 2019. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-17. Roozbeh, I., Ozlen, M., & Hearne, J. W. (2018). An adaptive large neighbourhood search for asset protection during escaped wildfires. Computers & Operations Research, 97, 125134. Sledge, D., & Thomas, H. F. (2019). From disaster response to community recovery: nongovernmental entities, government, and public health. American journal of public health, 109(3), 437-444. MODULE 1 SLP 1 10 Swain, D. L. (2021). A shorter, sharper rainy season amplifies California wildfire risk. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(5), e2021GL092843. Welch, C. (2020). The Enduring Threats of California Wildfires: How Construction Companies Must Adapt. Williams, A. P., Abatzoglou, J. T., Gershunov, A., Guzman?Morales, J., Bishop, D. A., Balch, J. K., & Lettenmaier, D. P. (2019). Observed impacts of anthropogenic climate change on wildfire in California. Earth's Future, 7(8), 892-910. Yun, W. (2020). Effectiveness of Social Media Applications in California Wildfires.