Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Campbell Lake (Anchorage, Alaska)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep per WP:GEOLAND and the discussion below. If the article needs copy-editing or other changes as the AfD author suggests, I suggest a topical application of be bold and fix it. (non-admin closure) Naypta ☺ &#124; ✉ talk page &#124; 19:39, 18 May 2020 (UTC)

Campbell Lake (Anchorage, Alaska)

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Another spectacular fail on the part of AFC for passing this off into article space without discernment. This article was created by a new account whose only edits are to this article or to promote links to this article. The article as written exists solely to introduce and promote citation spam to a story published in The Alaska Landmine, a blog!!!, and to serve as a venue for advocacy of the story's assertions of the right of the public to access the lake. Not only is the Landmine a blog, its publisher is a past election opponent of an incumbent state senator who lives on the lake, is running for reelection this year and is the subject of a BLP article on Wikipedia. In other words, red flags all around. This is an artificial lake which has existed for over 60 years, is home to numerous prominent members of this community, yet I'm expected to believe by what I'm reading that the only coverage it's received in reliable sources during that 60+ years is one small series published by a blog within the past six months and its supporting documentation? Please. Barring any sincere effort to try again, anything which can be said about the lake can fit comfortably into a section of Campbell Creek (Alaska) instead of pretending the two are islands unto themselves. RadioKAOS / Talk to me, Billy / Transmissions 19:27, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Geography-related deletion discussions.  userdude 19:36, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Alaska-related deletion discussions.  userdude 19:36, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

As you note, this lake has a 60-year history, and there have been other notable events during that time. Wikipedia has an excellent entry on "recentism" and its effect on the quality of Wikipedia pages. In this case, creating a page that was uncluttered, organized, and readable necessitated the inclusion of notable recent events. However, I agree with your comment. Multiple dam failure and flooding events should be included in the "History" section, for example. The last major flood was August 27-28, 1989 and was covered by multiple articles in the Anchorage Daily News (see “Campbell Lake Residents Struggle to Save their Lake” ADN, August 27, 1989), but these articles are archival and cannot be accessed via hyperlink, which is why they were not included. It also collapsed during the massive 1964 earthquake, which was documented in a citable 1966 report by the US Department of the Interior. Other page improvements should be mentioned in the Talk page. Regarding merging, Campbell Creek and Campbell Lake are distinct entities, both to the local population and according to USGS. Separate entries exist for less notable local water features including Chester Creek and Westchester Lagoon, neither of which have been flagged for merge. Yes, a US Senator is involved in the controversy surrounding this lake: This increases its notability and makes the page a poor candidate for deletion. This lake is also relevant due to navigable water rights issues raised during a US Supreme Court Case (Sturgeon vs. Alaska). I am a new user of Wikipedia (as you noted). There are many prolific editors of Wikipedia, but they all had to start somewhere. Wikipedia does not have separate page guidelines for new users, but it does have a policy encouraging new users to “be bold” because we have potential to better our community and Wikipedia as a whole. I respect and appreciate the time and effort that so many people take to make Wikipedia the resource that it is. Thank you for your efforts to improve this rich and valuable resource, including this page. I do mean that sincerely. We improve this community for everyone when we create and edit with diligence. Openice1856 (talk) 18:12, 12 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep It appears notable via WP:GEOLAND through a quick search, the issues described are editing issues and not notability issues.     SportingFlyer  T · C  19:43, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep or Merge with Campbell Creek (Alaska). Initially I thought for sure this would be a delete, but after reading the blog and then the newspaper articles, I think this issue is quite interesting in part because of Sturgeon v. Frost (which concerns Alaskan navigable waters) and also that a U.S. Senator is involved in the issue. I agree that origins of the article are suspect and thank  for bringing it up.  If I have to choose, between keep or merge, I would go with merge with a complete rewrite. Cxbrx (talk) 20:14, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep Notable lake in a major city. ~ EDDY  ( talk / contribs )~ 23:41, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep I think the lake stands alone and should not be merged with the creek, though perhaps I could be convinced otherwise. Plenty of news coverage. I deleted the reference to Natasha von Imhof because I don't see that it got picked up anywhere outside the Alaska Landmine. Calliopejen1 (talk) 17:54, 12 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep RadioKAOS, thank you for your comments. Campbell Lake is a notable body of water in the largest city in Alaska. It is the largest lake in Anchorage, Alaska without a Wikipedia page; pages exist for multiple smaller bodies of water in Anchorage including Westchester Lagoon (also an artificial lake), Sand Lake, and Goose Lake. The history and controversy surrounding the lake meet the Wikipedia guidelines for notability (particularly relative to other local geographic features). The information contained in the page is verifiable and broadly sourced from the ADN (Alaska's largest newspaper), Alaska Public Media, the Alaska Landmine, local television media, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. According to Wikipedia's guidelines, "sources may encompass published works in all forms and media," and the Landmine article that you highlighted provides a thorough, verifiable description of this lake and its importance, which is why it was cited.
 * Keep. "Named natural features are often notable" per WP:GEOLAND. —Hiwilms (talk) 07:08, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep. AFD is not cleanup, if there is ciation spam, clean it instead of nominating. WP:BEFORE is required for nominating. Named feature, passes GEOLAND easily, covered in multiple RS. MistyGraceWhite (talk) 13:26, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep per WP:GEOLAND and Campbell Creek and Campbell Lake are distinct entities.Pharaoh of the Wizards (talk) 16:47, 18 May 2020 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.