For my ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking and Communication in Environmental Studies course, we developed a policy analysis paper. This involved doing extensive research on a local environmental problem and the policies surrounding that problem. I chose to focus my paper on the Delta smelt because of my interest in California water allocation and the impacts of water diversion.  I was interested in learning what can be done to help prevent the Delta smelt from going extinct. Something new to me in developing this paper was researching existing environmental policies and learning how to evaluate those policies. Through the course, I learned how to effectively communicate stakeholder perspectives in my writing.  I feel successful in the completion of this paper because I expanded my abilities as a writer that can weave together both scientific information and information relating to policies. I learned that the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a hot topic and the discussion surrounding how it should be managed has become increasingly contentious in recent years. Please take a moment to read each of my four fact sheets, as well as my final paper, down below.