· Be sure to support your answers to the questions and provide in-text citations, quotes, etc. as needed. Feel free to refer to the Plum Creek documents as “PC a” and “PC b” and to the Stand by our Plan documents as “SP a” and “SP b”. For any class readings, feel free to just use author names (e.g., “Hanley et al.” or “Letson”).

· Answers must be free of typos, double spaced, with 12 point font and 1-in margins, and within page limits indicated for each question.

· Group Work Option reminder : As with all assignment in the class, if you choose, you may work with your CLG team on this, and have one person in your CLG submit the assignment. All CLG members who collaborate on the paper will receive the same grade. Those not collaborating with their CLG team will not receive this grade, and will instead be graded based on their own submission. You do not need to let Dr. Adams know what arrangement you choose. Simply indicate who in your CLG actively participated.

· The assignment is due by October 24th in Canvas as a single uploaded file. Note that late submissions will be assessed a penalty (please see the syllabus).

Questions:

In the header, please indicate who in your CLG actively participated in this submission. If it's a solo submission, please list only your name.

1. Provide a economics-based rationale for Alachua County deciding what Plum Creek can do with their private property. In your answer, please address public goods and negative externalities. (7 points; max half page).

2. Identify the major tradeoffs in both environmental goods and services and other economically important factors (e.g., jobs) associated with the Envision Alachua plan. Please number them in your answer. Think about what Alachua County may gain and what it may lose if the plan is implemented. At a minimum, you should indicate five (5) environmental goods and services and five (5) other factors (e.g., jobs or tax revenues). Again, please number them in your answer. (18 points; max 1 page).

3. Each of the 5 ecosystem goods and services that you mentioned in your answer to question 2 has a variety of economic value types (e.g., nonuse value) associated with it. For each of the ecosystem goods and services, indicate which economic value category best fits it (e.g., you might say that wildlife habitat is best defined by nonuse value), and provide a brief justification (i.e., say why you think that value category fits best). (20 points; max 1 page).

4. For each of the ecosystem goods and services, indicate: (1) whether willingness to pay (WTP) or willingness to accept (WTA) would be the appropriate measure of economic impacts; and (2) what valuation method would be most appropriate to assess the impacts of Envision Alachua on these values. Be sure to justify/explain your answers. Recall that WTA and WTP mostly deal with your stance (are you losing or gaining an ecosystem service?). (20 points; max 1 page).

5. Briefly discuss the role that uncertainty and irreversibility play in assessing the Envision Alachua plan. Your answer must address both (10 points; max 1 page).

6. Now that you have considered all of the relevant criteria, you can assess the policy. Based on your previous answers, would you - as an intelligent and politically-engaged resident of Alachua County - support the Envision Alachua plan? Why or why not? Be sure to consider the economic information plus other criteria (e.g., social, environmental). Basically, I want you to apply the 4 criteria from class (biophysical, economic, social, and administrative) (20 points; max 2 pages).

Grading rubric:

Header: Names of participating students listed (5 points)

Question 1:

· An adequate rationale is given (5 points)

· The correct format is used (e.g., spacing, length, font, margins) (2 points)

Question 2:

· Clear description is given of at least 5 environmental and 5 non-environmental tradeoffs (10 points)

· The tradeoffs identified are drawn from the supporting materials, and this information is properly referenced (6 points)