Journey Thomason Thomason 1

Professor Hughes

English Comp 2

16 March 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Carswell, Cally. “Trump's Wall May Threaten Thousands of Plant and Animal

Species on the U.S.–Mexico Border.” Scientific American, 10 May 2017,

www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-rsquo-s-wall-may-threaten-thousands-of-

plant-and-animal-species-on-the-u-s-mexico-border/.

This article was written by Cally Carswell and published in Scientific American, it

shares the journey of jaguars in southern arizona, the limitation of water and the effects

the current borders and highways are causing in animals at the border. It talks about the

importance of cross-border connectivity.The point of this article is to inform Americans

of the environmental impact a border wall will have especially in the regions from Yuma

Arizona and New Mexico. This is meant to reach everyone, in hopes of informing

Congress of the problems that will arise and to try and combat these now. This was

written in May when Trump's border wall was very much talked about and when

researchers began to come out with studies showing the possible impact. Cally

Carswell is a writer for Scientific America and is a reliable source because she is

unbiased in her writing and focuses and writes a lot about environmental policy. They

cite their sources showing they are a reliable source to get information from. It also was

relevant to my topic and recent in it’s writing. I am going to use this article to talk about
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the New Mexico and Arizona range because a lot of area in that range have some sort

of border fence or none at all. Most of the articles I am citing are writing about Texas

since that is the largest borderlands area but parts of Texas and Arizona have different

climates and animals so it is important to look at everything that will be affected.

Jain, Rishabh. “Trump's Mexico Border Wall: Alternative Surveillance Methods

And Countries Using Them.” International Business Times, 26 Jan. 2017,

www.ibtimes.com/trumps-mexico-border-wall-alternative-surveillance-methods-

countries-using-them-2481587.

This source was written by Rishabh Jain and published in International Business

TImes in 2017. This article shows alternatives that can be used to a border wall that

would not hurt our ecosystem as badly. Comparing what other countries have done in

order to protect their borders but not cause ecological damage. This article is meant to

inform readers of technology that can be used to our advantage when looking at

immigration disputes. This source is current and was only written 2 years ago when the

border wall was a hot topic. It holds accurate information and cites their sources. This is

relevant to my topic because I am looking at alternatives to a border wall. There is

authority to the name Rishabh, he is a writer for the IBT and focuses on technology,

technology is what could keep our border secure without a wall. I will use this source to

compare other options of border security that way we can protect animals and the

ecosystem.
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Ogden, Lesley E. “Border Walls and Biodiversity: New Barriers, New Horizons .”

BioScience, 6th ed., vol. 67, 2017, pp. 498–505.

This source it out of the BioScience 6th edition book, written by Lesley Ogden

and speaks about animals that will be affected and how we as a country might not

understand what this could mean for our environment. Also talks about not just a border

wall but what more border presence can also do to the lives of these animals. This

chapter of BioScience is meant to inform people of the possible effects of a border wall.

The audience is everyone, especially people who live near the border. This chapter was

published in 2017 which does not hinder it’s information on the scientific studies but on

the progress of immigration and a wall. It was written after Trump's inauguration when

talk of a border wall was high. The author of this chapter is Lesley Ogden, has a PHD in

ecology and is a regular writer in BioScience and BBC Earth. She is a trustworthy

source because of her education in ecology she knows about this environmental impact

and is not biased in her writing and only writes about the facts. I will use this source to

write about specific animals like the pygmy owl and what a wall to do to it’s migration

patterns.

Ripple, William J., et al. “Nature Divided, Scientists United: US-Mexico Border

Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation.” BioScience, no. 10, 2018, p.

740. EBSCOhost,
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgea&AN=edsgcl.56220417

2&site=eds-live.

This source was written by William J Ripple and published in BioScience. This

book specializes in everything science related and really goes in depth about the

human presence by the border. Most of the articles I am choosing to cite talk about how

a border wall will affect plants and animals. This source talks about the effect builsing of

the wall and travelers are also causing. The point of this section is to inform america as

a whole about the problem at the border. This book is backed by BioScience and

William Ripple has had his work published in BioScience at least 8 times always

focusing on the environment and he cited his sources making him a reliable source.

This article was published in 2018 which is about 1 year ago. This source is current and

holds good information. I will use this source to show not just the effect the wall will

have after it is built but during its building too.

Satija, Neena, and Kiah Collier. “Scientists Say Trump's Border Wall Would

Devastate Wildlife Habitat.” Reveal, Reveal, 3 Aug. 2017,

www.revealnews.org/article/scientists-say-trumps-border-wall-would-devastate-wildlife-

habitat/.
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This source was written by Neena Satija and Kiah Collier, published on Reveal

and talks about the current immigration problem we have while also looking at how not

exploring other options we are causing a huge environmental impact. It covers

immigration and then what the government is doing to fast track this fence instead of

looking for possible problems, then the studies that show how this will affect mammals,

birds, reptiles and other animals. The writers are meant to inform and persuade in my

opinion. This article is for everyone since this wall can affect everyone. They do a good

job at using details to make you see how it currently is at the border. It was published 2

years ago after Trump was first elected into office so it might not have in perspective all

the things that have happened since then but still gives great information. Neena Satija

and Kiah Collier are both investigative reporters at Reveal. Neena works as an

environmental reporter in Texas near where these borders will be affecting people first

hand and is a trusted reporter at the Texas Tribune along with Kiah. I know this source

is reliable because they cite their information and have a first hand look at the impact

this will cause. This article is perfect for me to use because not only does it cover the

environmental impact like I am talking about but also about immigration which is the

whole reason this wall is being built. It shows that yes we do have people crossing when

they talk about the muddy handprints on our current barriers but also tells of studies that

show we need to look at alternatives to a huge wall.

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Schwartz, John. “Why a Border Wall Could Mean Trouble for Wildlife.” The New

York Times, The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2019,

www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/climate/border-wall-wildlife.html.

This source was written by John Schwartz, published in the New York Times and

talks about the possible problems a border wall could cause for native animals and

plants, along with endangered species.I also gives you an insight into how our

government has already waived environmental protections when it comes to the

building of this wall. The purpose of this article is to inform people of the possible

environmental consequences a wall could have on the border lands. It is meant to reach

everyone since this is a highly political topic. It was written Jan 24, 2019 meaning it was

written during the government shutdown that lasted as long as it did to try and get

funding for this border wall.`John Schwartz has been a New York Times author for

almost 20 years, he cites all of his sources in his writing and is not biased when writing

pieces. He is the best person to write this article for the Times because he focuses on

science and the environment, also climate change. I would use this source to talk about

how and what animals will be affected with this border wall such as low flying insects

and birds. This article will help me in my research project in answering my question.

Think Like a Scientist Borderlands, Days Edge Productions, 16 Apr. 2015,

www.daysedge.com/films.

This source is a film that was produced by Nathan Dappen and Neil Losin and

published by Days Edge Productions and looks at the effects of a border wall first hand.
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It takes you to the southern border and shows the wildlife that would be affected, This

source is very good in it shows visuals and certain animals that eat plants and pass on

seeds and without them having free movement seeds will not get distributed affection

the ecosystem. Also touches the history of a border fence and how it started in 2009

and Congress waived all laws that are put in place to protect wildlife so they could fast

track a border fence and the consequences this caused. This source is meant to inform

but also persuade. At the end they speak about how border walls are probably

inevitable but as humans they hope we make the smart conscious decision and try and

protect wildlife. They are trying to persuade watchers to make good eco friendly

decisions. It was produced in 2015 during Trump's campaign so I think this speaks to

why it was published when to was. The producers of the film are not actually in it but I

think what makes them a good source is the people they included in their film such as

Jon Beckmann a biologist for the National Wildlife Conservation. It was Authority in

being backing by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and was helped to be made by

over five museums. I plan on using this film to give a good example of how certain

animals are vital to an ecosystem and then how a border wall will affect these

ecosystems. This will help me in my research in deciding if it is a good idea.