POV

Screaming Eagles- Luray H.S.

hunter/farmer                                                                                                      10/18/2010

  Kill more coyotes so that deer population will increase. Put bag limits on both deer and

coyotes to even out their populations. Deer cause problems for farmers so you want some

coyotes around to keep the population somewhat in check. But you don't want the coyotes

to become so overpopulated or they'll start killing livestock.

  If the deer population increases, they will destroy crop production. And overpopulated

deer will cause more diseases. Ticks will give deer diseases like lyme disease and they will

end up dying anyway. If the deer population continues to increase, deer will run into the

road and more and more people will get in deer related car accidents. If the population

gets out of control they will go in peoples yards looking for food and eventually, safety will

 become an issue. If you can't take the task of farming then you should not be a farmer. 

Animals were there before people. No matter what you do, there are still gonna be

problems because there are always going to be coyotes and deer. Increasing the bag limits

and working together with local farmers is a first step. Farmer's land now has a huge

amount of  deer and coyotes. We need to work with them to help contain both animals and

change will be easier by developing partnerships with local land owners.

  There shouldn't be bounties on coyotes or deer because then people will only kill them for

 the money and it will ruin the sport of hunting. Also, bounties will have to be funded by

local governments, and considering the current economic situation, where will you get the

money?  If its that bad of a problem you could pay people to hunt on your property or

lease it to sportsman's clubs instead of coyotes eating your livestock and deer ruining your

crops.

 

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POV

Car Crashers- John Marshall H.S.

The Deer                                                                                                              10/26/2010

     I think that coyotes shouldn’t be introduced because hunters keep deer populations down by

poaching. The deer have been killed out almost completely before by hunters so why do we have

 to put coyotes in the area to kill even more of us. I believe that keeping things the way they

are now would be best because people would be more at the risk with coyotes in the area. People

 are not scared of deer but are of coyotes. The coyotes also do more damage to everything else

that the people have such as cars, animals, or any kind of food. Most deer stay in the forest and

 are scared of people more than people are scared of them. The deer only come out of the

forest to get food or something to drink. That is the only time we actually see them. They also

don’t do enough damage to get rid of them by putting coyotes in the area with us.

 

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bambis buddys- North Harford H.S

Animal rites                                                                                                          10/27/2010

  We  are Bambi's Buddies and we are trying to find ways to handle the deer over

population with as little killing as possible. Our group is important because we are basing our

 opinions and solutions on what is best for the deer and will still protect their rights. Deer

over populations effect our group because we are trying to avoid the killing of deer and if

the deer are overpopulated then hunters would want to hunt even more deer and that

would not be good for deer. The issue of overpopulation could be solved in better ways

than by hunting them. For example we could relocate deer to other parts of the state or

country and instead of using humans killing them we could reintroduce predators of deer to

 the area. Like the coyotes or bears. And some people would say we could try and use birth

control but that probably wouldn't work too well. The other stakeholder groups solutions

will effect people who care about wildlife and deer more so than themselves. At Bambi's

Buddies we don't want to see the killing of innocent deer and all the other stakeholders will

 want to use hunting to try and control the deer population and that's pretty much it. So

the best option would be to reintroduce the natural predators of deer to the areas where

overpopulation of deer is a problem and allow the predators to help reduce the numbers.

This is how we at Bambi's Buddies would like to control the population of deer.

 

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hollow eve- Paw Paw H.S.

wow deer                                                                                                             10/27/2010

  Hunters should be allowed to hunt but only if they pass a safety test. We should keep the

deer population to kind of  fair and most help farmers protect the crops as best as they

can. We should be aware of the deer population so we can maintain a balance in nature. If

certain qualities of a deer herd are to be maintained, humans must help control deer

populations. When nutrient limitations alone control deer populations, most herd health

qualities suffer. Historically, predation was probably the primary influence when Cross

Timbers deer populations were maintained within the limits of food, cover, water, and

space. Historical deer predators in the Cross Timbers were the mountain lion, gray wolf,

coyote, and Native American. The gray wolf has been extirpated from the Cross Timbers,

and the mountain lion nearly so. Thus the importance of man's role as a deer predator has

increased.

 

The only relatively efficient means to manage deer herd numbers other than habitat

modification is through managing hunter harvest (i.e., contemporary predation).

Management of deer numbers is necessary to regulate or control deer herd health.

 

In rare instances, trapping and relocating deer may be an option for managers with

relatively abundant funds, labor, and equipment. However, relocation programs have

problems finding places to take deer unless they release them into hunted areas because

almost all deer habitats already support deer. Releasing trapped deer into no hunted

established deer populations simply transfers the problems to the recipient place.

 

For regulating deer herds, managing deer quality, and managing herd health, the most

important aspect of harvest is doe harvest. Doe harvest is one of the most misunderstood

yet most important aspects of deer management. When a white-tailed deer population is

near or above carrying capacity, its numbers and quality cannot be managed effectively

through hunting without harvesting does.

 

 The reasons for harvesting does are the same as the reasons for controlling cattle

numbers in livestock management. If a livestock manager removed no cattle or removed

only male cattle from a cow-calf herd and left all female cattle, eventually he would have

too many cattle. Through time their numbers would increase to the point where neither the

land nor the manger could provide enough food for them. From that point on, their health,

weights, reproductive rates, and overall quality would continue to decline until the cattle

actually started starving. Many deer herds exhibit this trend where the proper number of

does is not harvested.

 

The important concept here is "proper" doe harvest. The proper doe harvest for a particular tract of land depends on deer management goals, deer density relative to carrying capacity, fawn crop, and sex ratio. Proper doe harvest changes from place to place and it changes through the years on the same place. For some situations, proper doe harvest may be no doe harvest. If a deer herd is well below carrying capacity and more deer is a goal, a manager would probably want to harvest few or no deer. For other situations, proper doe harvest may be as many as 1 doe per 25 acres. If a deer herd has many more does than bucks and the herd is at or above carrying capacity of the land, a manager would generally want to harvest a relatively large number of does.

Deer harvests on an area are generally managed through harvest quotas. Deer harvest quotas are the numbers of male and female deer that can or should be removed from an area during a certain time frame. When establishing harvest quotas, managers should consider goals, habitat limits, deer density, sex ratio, fawn crop, and recent trends in deer population parameters. Found on a website www.reasonswhy.com.

 

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Lymes lovers- North Harford H.S

medical community                                                                                                10/27/2010

   My stake holder group is the hospitals, we are important because we take care of injured

 people or sick people that deer have injured. Most people are infecte4d by the deer ticks

most commonly carried disease, lymes disease. Lymes disease is very dangerous, and if not

treated properly can be deadly, that is why hospitals need to take good care of people with

 limes. If there were less interaction with humans and deer then there would be fewer

cases of people with this diesis, and less deaths. If we could solve this problem we most

certainly would, we would do this by supporting hunters and groups that fight to keep the

deer population down.  "We see the tip of the iceberg, the people who get sick",  Dr.

Timothy Lepore, Nantucket's surgeon and tick expert, up to 10,000 off-seasons (hunting

season) in Nantuckets. We need to make the hunting seasons longer and more deer need to

be killed, especially in rural areas, where there are more cars.

 

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Doctor Deer- North Harford H.S

Medical Group                                                                                                      10/28/2010

The stakeholder group medical is extremely important. The medical group is important because

we help people know the dangers of diseases transmitted by deer. We also give people tips on

how to prevent these diseases, and tell people the symptoms and cures for them. Many accidents

 and deaths are from deer. Hospitals have to work with many people who have been injured in

accidents. Overpopulation affects our group greatly because the more deer there are the

greater chance you can get the diseases and be injured in accidents. We believe a solution for

overpopulation of deer would be more open hunting seasons. With more hunting seasons

hunters will be able to maintain deer more and decrease injuries and the risk of getting a

disease. We also believe that in hunting being able to kill two deer at once instead of just one a

 day would help to the cause greatly. There is not as many hunters as there used to be. Maybe

we could attract more hunters to hunting deer. By paying them or giving them rewards. We

could also have a competition were whoever kills the biggest buck will get a prize. Also people

with private property that have a large deer population should allow certain hunters to kill a

few off. Another way is to let some people hunt without permits. The fact that you have to pay

for a permit to hunt discoutages many people. So making hunting free would be a quick and

easy way to reduce populations.

 

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School Bus Boys- North Harford H.S

School Bus Company                                                                                             10/28/2010

     We see the overpopulation of deer as a serious and urgent problem. Our group is rather

important as we are responsible for the safe and timely transportation of students to and from

school. The problem of deer overpopulation affects us because deer are an increasing problem

in terms of collisions with deer. Buses are also becoming heavier with new and more common

features such as air conditioning, air brakes, and powered passenger entry doors. What this

means is that, since the bus is heavier, it cannot stop as quickly in the event that a deer is to

run out in front of it.

     We would like to solve this problem by using fences and deer repellant near all the roads.

This would mean either putting an exclusion fence along the road or placing plants that are

infused with deer repellants along the roadways. This is likely to work, as both solutions have

been tested in forest areas and have shown a significant increase in forest health due to the

lack of deer. The fencing and chemicals both come at a cost, but the question is not whether we

 can afford to implement them, it is whether we can afford not to. If deer continue to

overpopulate, there will be more accidents between school buses and deer. School buses carry

the future of America, the next generation, children. We need to protect the next generation

from harm due to collisions with animals on their way to school or back home. This solution can

also be beneficial to people such as farmers, hunters, animal lovers, and insurance agencies. It

benefits farmers because deer will no longer be able to cross the road to access their crop

fields. This benefits hunter in that the deer will stay deeper into the forest where they can kill

them. This benefits animal lovers in that less deer will be subject to death by motor vehicle.

Finally, this benefits insurance companies because it will reduce accidents with deer, reducing

the cost to the insurance agencies for damaged vehicles.

 

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Tree_Huggin_Hippies<3- North Harford H.S

This group is for animal lovers                                                                              10/28/2010

The opinion of the tree huggin hippies are that the deer overpopulation is not good. Deer get

hit by cars all the time. This is not good because it can injure not only the deer, but the people

driving the car. We love animals and to see hunters killing deer is horrible. One thing that

really makes me mad is when I hear about hunters who shoot deer for no reason and just leave

it. Its one thing to shoot a deer for food, but to shoot a deer for no apparent reason is just

wrong. Also deer being overpopulated is running down forest floors. The deer eat all the

vegetation and leave the forest floors bare for the rest of the animals. One solution we have

came up with is to put barriers in certain parts of the town. We can put barricades up in

different forest reserves. This will help because when we keep the deer in one specific spot it

will keep just one forest doing not so good instead of the deer ruining every forest. In these

reserves we will put food inside the reserves so that the deer can survive in the reserves. Also

this will help with the amount of car accidents caused by deer. This will help because the deer

will be barricaded in so they cannot get to roads and highways. These solutions sound like good

things and I think that Maryland should think about doing them.

 

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Esteban- Horizons 4H

A Concerned Deer                                                                                                10/29/2010

     I, Esteban, as a young buck, would have been quick to say that killing deer, no matter what

the reason, was inherently wrong. I have, however, matured since then, and I have learned to

look from all sides of a problem. Don’t misunderstand, I love the forest. I love living here with

my fellow deer, eating yummy oak seedlings and trillium.

     But life hasn’t been kind recently. There are so many of us deer that it has resulted in a

shortage of yummy food. Recently I have even been forced to eat FERNS due to lack of

anything else edible. Some deer, friends of mine even, have been dying of malnutrition. Just

last week my younger brother, Julio, passed away. It breaks my heart to say this, but some

sacrifices need to be made for the greater good. Actions must be taken, I beg of you. No more

young ones should have to die.

     My belief is that the hunters should be allowed to hunt more deer at a time. It will be

unbelievably sad, but the hunters at least will only take those who have reached maturity. It will

 be a heavy sacrifice, but a necessary one. I have thought long and hard, and this is the best

solution I could think of at this time. If you reintroduce coyotes and other predators, they will

kill as indiscriminately as hunger does. Even if I should be one of the deer killed, I would not

mind. I have lived the full life that my beloved baby brother never had the chance to

experience. That is my opinion, and I shall stick to it if it kills me.

 

 

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PETA SQUAD- North Harford H.S

animal rights                                                                                                        10/29/2010

     PETA is important because it protects animal rights & at the same time control animal

population without harming any animals. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which

the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on

factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry.  PETA

works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation,

special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

     We object to the senseless killing of deer.  Deer have a right to live on this planet!

     We propose the following solutions to the deer overpopulation issue:

     1.   Deer enclosures to protect the forest

     2.   Contraceptive solutions to make the deer sterile

     3.   Balancing the ecosystem by reintroducing predators

Our solutions are more natural and lets the deer be a deer.

 

 

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RAWR!- Horizons 4H

Bobcat                                                                                                                 10/29/2010

     As a bobcat, I have mixed feelings about the reduction of the Chesapeake Bay area white-

tailed deer population. On one hand, I am enjoying the abundance of food because I can feed

myself and my kittens without having to fight other bobcats for the food. On the other hand,

the eating habits of the over population of deer destroys ground cover, making it hard to find

enough to conceal myself and my babies, and decreasing food for the smaller game in my diet,

such as rabbits and rats.

     I am also worried about the methods which may be used to reduce the deer population

affecting other species. If they reintroduce more natural predators the competition for food

will go up considerable. If they put out monetary rewards for hunting deer and remove the

necessity for hunting licenses, they will put the entire wildlife population at risk. I also just

plain disagree with fencing off part of the forest, I mean, come on! Who honestly thinks a

great big honking fence in the middle of the forest is going to do much good?  Besides that, if

the deer can’t get in, not much else can either, and that really won’t help.

     Despite my previously stated worries, I believe that reintroducing natural predators such as

mountain lions and coyotes (and a few bobcats wouldn’t hurt) is the best thing for the forest,

and what’s best for the forest is what’s best for everyone. Please keep in mind however, that

the solution isn’t fool proof, or risk free. There will be conflicts between coyotes and farmers,

but this is also an opportunity to relocate some of the coyotes showing up in the suburban

neighborhoods and places like that back into the wild. It may take awhile to find the plan that is

 truly best for everyone involved but it will be worth it to try.

 

 

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Supporters of Firefighters- Turner Ashby H.S.

supporters of the Firefighters                                                                                11/4/2010

     Due to the over 75,000 wildfires in the US each year, deer are forced out of part of their

habitat.  They are then more densely packed and forced to search for food elsewhere.  The

deer are starting to come out of the woods towards farms.  In order to get to the food on the

farms, they have to cross the road.  Many times they cause accidents because people fail to

watch for the deer crossing the road.  The average cost from a collision with a deer is $3,000.

Over 1.5 million wrecks per year are caused by deer and elk.  Virginia is ranked 7th in the

number of deer related accidents per state.  So, not only do they have to deal with the fires,

they also have to deal with the injuries from the crashes involving deer.  It costs the fire

department time that they could be spending with their families or getting more training under

their belts and money that could be spend other ways.

     The deer population should be controlled.  Farmers should be able to kill deer that are on

their property.  By controlling the deer population it would save the fire department time and

money and in return keep you safer.

 

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The Deer Philosophers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Game Biologists                                                                                                       11/4/2010

Conserving Wildlife

     By being the stake holder of a game biologist, it is our occupation to comprehend and study

about the life of various types of species. In this document, you will learn how a large amount

of deer are affected by humans, keystone species, and other organisms.

     Many deer usually die because of tick diseases, such as the common Lyme disease, and the

fatal babesiosis and ehrlichiosis. Experts on ticks believe that deer living on islands are more

likely to come upon ticks infected with two or all three diseases. Houses that are constructed

near deer habitats attract ticks closer to humans. Officials calculate approximately that there

are an estimated 2500 deer about 60 per square miles in comparison to 10 to 20 per square

mile on the mainland. In conclusion, 246 deer were killed, much more than the scientists’

estimate of 100.

     By the 20th century, they were approximately 500,000 white-tailed deer in the United

States. Tolerated profitable hunting and continuation of hunting threatened to decrease the

population size of white-tailed deer from a large amount of its assortment.  During that period

of time, several wildlife conservation organizations were focused on the goal of protecting the

 nation’s fatigued wildlife materials. Furthermore, hunting restrictions were ruled, and the

pursue of female deer was forbidden. Today, there are more than 20 million deer in the United

States and continue to increase. One way to keep the deer population rising is by managing it. 

During the end of the century, predators including, wolves, and mountain lions were beginning

to have a new main prey, deer. On the other hand, habitat changes have enabled deer to live a

healthier lifestyle due to the fact that abandoned living space has provided large forest land

superlative for the deer community.

     Deer habitats impact others by their importance of stability. Deer generally live in wooded

areas with other animals, deep brush, and other plants for survival. However, when there is an

over population, when the deer live in the same ecosystem, or if the reproduction is large, then

the land will become deteriorated. When this happens, deer tend to move into human population.

 This causes major problems for people because deer can eat our crops and destroy our homes.

If they do not decrease in population, they might have a fatal diminish in size. Conservation

practices will also help us keep deer out of our community.

     Human impact affects the lives of deer and what they prefer to consume. People have taken

away a maximum amount of limiting factors the deer by taking away their habitats and shelter.

Human beings take these needs away from getting our desires, such as, cutting down trees to

construct architectural buildings and complexes. By building these organizations humans have

cut down the resources of needs for deer allowing deer to overpopulate by eating what humans

consider to be waste. Some of what they consume could be litter or unnatural. However, it can

still harm innocent deer species. The White-Tailed Virginian deer is a key stone species giving

it great impact on other things such as the food chain and other organisms. Having a

reproduction of deer could harm other animals of the food chain.

     As the deer are having an impact on others, they still need to decrease in population, but

they cannot succeed until they have the proper limiting factors. These limiting factors include

 

the needs to survival such as proper food and water, and also natural shelter that is not

invaded. Humans have an impact on White-Tailed deer and we want to help them reach their goal.

 

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Deer Dudes and Dudetes- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Deer Rights Activists                                                                                               11/4/2010

     Did you know that female deer’s are called does and male deer’s are called bucks?

     Virginia’s grown white tailed deer can weigh up to 150 pounds. The big buck can weigh up to

 200 pounds and run at a speed of 40 mph. and clear an 8 acre field. The world is losing deer

and its population. Almost every year, 3,650 deer die because of us and how they have no food.

 This is because the game agency is trying to wipe out land where the deer eat and sleep on.

People are still trying to make the world a better place ,but it just seems like the people end up

destroying and killing for deer and land. They have a society that protects deer but nobody can

stop this matter. When deer search for food but they can’t find any or there isn’t enough food

left, the deer die out.

     The deer are useful for many things unless they over populate. When you kill the deer you

can use them for coats, shoes and food. Deer’s are killed in car accidents and those can kill

people too. Nearly every year 200 people are killed in car accidents. But 29,000 are injured

because of a car accident with a deer involved. These accidents occur because deer run into

the middle of the street and the drivers of the car can’t see them so they run into them and they

 get injured. Once there was this woman that was driving and then she hit two trees trying to be

 cautious and trying to not hit the deer, then sadly she died. The reason why she hit the deer is

because the deer had no place to eat. The deer was looking for food and who took the food

away? It had to be the game agency. They tried to make the deer move and go seek food

elsewhere. Because of the early settlers taking out natural deer predators, the nature or deer

population has increased to the point where it is unbearable. Instead of seeing deer in their

natural habitat, some people testify that they have seen them in their neighborhood.

     Our solution is to bring back deer’s natural predators to their natural habitats, so the

population can be lowered, and the plants that deer eat can be restored and other animals that

eat that same food will not perish of starvation. Tigers love to eat deer, so if we bring tigers

back to forests, maybe over the years we can see a decrease in deer population. The population

 is so big, deer cannot get the correct resources necessary for their survival, and we want to

help that. We can lower the population, saving the deer and other animals that eat the same

food, and end the problems we face every day of deer eating our gardens, deer being hit by

cars and trucks that cause death to the deer and possibly the driver, and deer being found in

our neighborhood.

     Please help us in our fight to save the deer and the animals that are similar. Remember, we

may be using ideas that kill deer, but it is for the better, not the worse. Even though, the law

does state that we cannot kill deer at mating season, it seems like the farmers help our problem,

they try to help themselves, but they dint know that they are killing a species. We can’t live

without them. Do people really want to lose something that it seems like we already loss?  Please

 benefit to our cause to help the white-tailed deer.

 

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The Bio Squad- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Game Biologist                                                                                                        11/8/2010

“We fight for life”

     Our stakeholder group, the Game Biologists, are important because we limit deer

populations, take part in trap and release, radio tracking, and we work with the Fish and Game

Agency to control hunting seasons. Game biologists limit the amount of deer hunters can kill

and analyze the way hunting affects the deer population. (51)

     The deer problem affects us because there is so many deer that they are killing off the

other animals that we study. We get many complaints from farmers and homeowners and we

want our community to be happy about where they live. (43)There are many possible solutions,

but not all are necessarily good for us. One solution is killing deer, but it seems inhumane. We

could build fences, but that is usually ineffective and can hurt the deer and still allow some

predators. Restrictions on hunting are good but are not proving to be truly effective. (50)

     We think that we have discovered a solution for deer management that works for everyone,

including the deer. If we trap an amount of wild deer using a tranquilizer gun and darts that

will still allow hunters to hunt, we can send them national parks and zoos in controlled

environments similar to their natural habitat all over the United States. This will reduce deer

population density in the problem states and allow people in other states to enjoy the white-

tailed deer while still letting the hunters enjoy the hunt. This way, we do not harm the deer, but

we reduce population.  (91)

     The cost of this project is about $500,000. We will get this money by conducting a

fundraiser that benefit you by hosting a fair that sells food, towels, stickers, and other

miscellaneous items. We will have to give up part of our funds for this project.

     This solution will benefit us, our community, and our wildlife by increasing the amount of

other wildlife availible for study. It will allow others to watch deer but still keep deer alive.

     If the deer population decreases, we would NOT disappear but we would lose an important

animal to our study. We do not want white-tailed deer to go extinct.

     We would be more willing to participate by giving the people involved a free card to let

them see the deer at the zoo and/or national park of their choice three times after the project

is complete.

     The solution could be structured to make our group prosper by giving us publicity and

allowing us to keep better track on the populations and make the deer population at an

acceptable level.

     We could not be harmed by reducing deer to protect our forests because it will give us a

better chance to further explore other species and possibly discover more organisms that are

hard to explore when the deer population thrives.

 

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The Deer Stalkers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Animal Rights Activists                                                                                            11/8/2010

     The Animal Rights Activist is important because we keep track of the amount of deer and

the places where the deer eat the most. The deer problem affects us by having too many deer

die because of cars collisions, hunters killing deer, natural disasters, and animal behavior. We

can solve this problem by controlling how much hunters kill in a year, or people would stop

hitting deer with cars. We could fix this by people slowing down in their cars so they don’t hit

the deer. Hunters threaten deer and stop their natural reproduction from happening. Hunters

are a stakeholder in the deer food web because they kill the animals with their guns and lower

the population. If they hunt more deer, then the population will decrease, and the deer will

eventually die off. Even though hunters get money for killing deer, deer give natural

satisfaction in zoos, traveling in a forest, or wandering in nature. The ecosystem is being

affected by random deaths of the species of deer. The community doesn’t like dead bodies in

their community. What if you were a deer….? Would you like to get shot or hit out of nowhere?

I didn’t think so. If you don’t like being shot, that means deer don’t like to be shot. Deer have

feelings just like everybody else.

     We need proper management on the deer population. The human impact on deer is happening

 a lot, as in there are many people hitting or killing the deer, weather it’s on purpose or on

accident. If nobody is hunting the population of deer, then it will overgrow. If too many people

 hunt, then the population will decrease and will become endangered. The solutions will not cost

us in any ways. The solutions benefit us with a controlled population and no problems we have

to deal with. We could be making it more fun and entertaining yet academic. Our points of

view are having the population controlled, and then keeping it controlled so we will not face

this problem.

 

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Wildlife Preservers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Fish and Game Agency                                                                                            11/8/2010

Group Slogan: Why Waste Wildlife? (WWW?)

     Our group, the fish and game agency, is important because we protect nature and balance

the percentage of hunting deer and game animals. We can change the season that people hunt

deer so deer population can stay at a positive percentage. Our group can change a certain

hunting season if the population gets too high or too low. We can change the law so people can

only hunt certain types and amounts of deer, fish, and other game.

     Deer overpopulation affects our group because other species or organisms (not deer) run

out of food when deer overeat. When overpopulated deer share one space, there isn’t enough

room for other game. Overpopulation can cause our fish and game agency to have to work much

 more with laws and rules. It can cause us more work and makes it harder for people to obey.

     Our solution for deer overpopulation is to make hunting season longer for the spring (when

deer most commonly mate) so deer population would decrease. It can be a negative to our

personal and livelihood experiences because we would have work less and not get enough

money. It can be positive because the deer will eat less and the creatures that can’t eat much

because of the deer will be able to eat and deer will reproduce. We will change deer hunting

seasons with firearms to be 5 days longer each (note there are many hunting seasons). This will

cause deer population decrease rapidly if we continue to hunt in future years. Once deer

overpopulation is at a balance then our agency will stop the extra length of deer hunting

seasons. Since most hunting is done by the use of firearms, this plan will be effective.

     If the solution doesn’t meet our agency’s standards deer overpopulation would make us have

to create laws. This would be negative because deer are a keystone species. This would

threaten the food web and wildlife because the deer take too much room. With large amounts

of deer population density, there will be competition between different species.

 

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Creature Conservation Cops- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Fish and Game Agency                                                                                            11/9/2010

CCC (Creature Conservation Cops)

      “Save the ANIMALS because they save YOU!”

     The CCC has a very important part in the deer population management. We control the

hunting seasons and determine the hunting laws. If we did not put a law on the deer hunting

season then the deer could overpopulate. If the deer overpopulated and ate a lot of the wildlife

 then the wildlife would die out and there would not be enough for the later deer and they would

 die out. The deer also might start eating the other animals because their food would be gone.

After a while, if we let the deer population stay very overpopulated then eventually the food

web would be destroyed. But if the deer were hunted too much then they would become

endangered and the wildlife that they eat would die out. The CCC is responsible for making the

population of the deer even. That is why the CCC is so important.

     The deer are destroying the forest and it is the CCC’s job to take effect. There is too much

demand and not enough supplies. Also since the deer population is high; it is threatening other

species because there are not enough plants to feed all the herbivores. This will cause

competition between the herbivores.  Since the deers are eating too much food so that other

organisms will soon starve. That means that the CCC will also have to help the animals that are

becoming extinct because of the competition.  The CCC has a solution to stop the deer.

     Since CCC has power over the hunting seasons, so if we make the deer hunting season longer

 ( like around 4 months long) and make the hunting season of the predators of the deer (like

bear and bobcat) shorter ( like 3 weeks), than the deer population would go down. But to make

sure the deer population density does not get too low, we can make it so that the hunters can

only shoot 10 deer (4 buck and 6 doe) in one year. This will make the farmers not have to kill

them off and the deer will not steal their crops. Also, the grasslands and berries will have a

chance to grow, making the forest able to keep the all the threaten species.

     The solutions could affect the people personally and their livelihood. One example would be

that more money would be spent and less money would be paid to employees. Another would be

that if the deer are kept, the species population size will continue to grow, making our job

harder to save the other species. If the deer are moved, the deer would not be able to be

monitored by the CCC and will more likely be over hunted. However, if the CCC does not do

anything, then the deer will take over the forests.

 

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Game Squad- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Game Biologist                                                                                                        11/9/2010

     We are game biologists. Game biologists generally need a graduate degree to get a job

higher than the technician level. Prior experience in environmental groups (government or

privately operated) and special skills can be very helpful in landing a position. The pay is

higher than that of wildlife technicians but may require more time in the office. Game

biologists are different from game wardens and may be involved in trapping and release of

game, radio telemetry, mortality studies, captive breeding, and other programs researching

animals for humane and economic reasons (2009,pg.1). Game biologists are key stake holders in

 our community. We are important because we collect information on animal populations to try

and figure out how to steady their numbers.  We do this for many organisms including white-

tailed deer. Human impact is a large factor in species survival. The white-tailed deer

population density is supposed to rise and fall at a steady pace. However, in recent years the

population size just keeps increasing and seldom decreases.

     The current increase in deer population can be very harmful to areas with high human

population because not only could the deer eat the resources that humans need, but the deer

could even come in and invade humans' living areas.  There have already been numerous

incidents of things like car accidents and deer breaking windows on a house.  However, there

is little room for error when trying to decrease the deer population and there can be many

negative effects of decreasing the population too much.

     Although there are many problems already with overpopulation, the problems would become

even worse if the population density of deer was to become endangered or even extinct.  If the

 population stays high, then other species on the area could be negatively affected, such as

rabbits.  Furthermore, if the deer population is decreased too much, then white-tailed deer may

be permanently threatened because their chances of being able to reproduce fast enough is

highly unlikely.  If the population is decreased too much then many people could be affected

such as hunters.  A species’ survival depends on the right habitat, food, and population of other

 species.  In the case of white-tailed deer, competition for food between deer and other

organisms is a huge threat in the population size problems. The overpopulation of deer can be a

 big problem. We as game biologist can be affected by the overpopulation of deer. An example

is the population of the predators will go higher than it needs to. This overpopulation will lead

to other species decreasing in size. This will mean less food for us. If this continues our

wildlife population will plummet. We are in a crisis of over population. All of the keystone

species and the habitat are being threatened by the population of deer. If all the species died

out there will be no need for game biologist any more. We might be able to stop the

overpopulation of the white-tailed deer species if we continue this fight to keep the

environment at a perfect balance.

     It is our goal as game biologists to work on safely decreasing the population of the white

tailed deer in order to not only protect other species but to protect us humans.  We plan to put

more predators in the area and to possibly raise the hunting limits so that hunters can more

effectively decrease the population.  We are confident that we will be able to decrease the

deer population enough so that we can save the other species.

 

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POP CON (Population Control)- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Game Biologists                                                                                                       11/9/2010

POP CON (Population Control)

“Popping Control on Game Everywhere”

 “What if I were to become a deer, and live in the forests, picking and eating fruits and roots-

by Guru’s Grace, I am a sacrifice to my Master. Again and again, I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice”

 -Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

     Deer are pushed away from their natural habitats in which they live.  The animals are also

over populated.  This is when game biologists come to help the wildlife.  Game biologists are

very important for the safety of deer and other animals in the ecosystem.  They regulate the

harvesting and hunting of deer and limit the fishing seasons.  They use captivity in order to

help regulate the population size of deer.  They also plant different species of scrubs and

other plants and try to help the population of the deer and help reproduction.  Game biologists

are needed for the wildlife life.

     Game biologists trap deer where there is an over population of deer and them release them

elsewhere.  They release deer where is not so populated with deer because if they didn’t, the

wildlife living in the over populated areas would reach its limiting factors.  The population

would drop dramatically. Game biologists can also make hunting and trapping seasons for deer

if there is an under population. Captive breeding is another way for game biologists to control

the population of deer. This will allow the animals to populate but have less of a population size

in the habitat.  These are the solutions game biologists would prefer.

     As our being of game biologists, the natural limiting factors and our solutions to the

population density of the deer, could possibly wipe out our livelihood. This could happen

because the hunters wouldn’t be able to hunt as much, thus the wardens would have little to do. 

Also the hunting regulations could possibly be reduced, which would be a decline for the

hunters as well .The wildlife such as rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals, would be a steak

 holder in the reduction of the deer population.  So, there would still be species to watch the

population size of. If the population is reduced, then we as game biologists could have less

work to do. Then we would be sitting around the water cooler telling jokes.

      The deer population is starting to overpopulate and all the plants in the surrounding areas

are being eaten and the deer will have to move to a new habitat. Game biologists are becoming

involved and have started to let hunters kill more deer and are putting the deer in captivity so

breeding can stop. If the deer population keeps getting too out of control then the all of the

game biologists could be terminated because people would think that we could not do our jobs

correctly. It is vital to control the deer population so that the plants will not die out and so that

the game biologists can keep their jobs.

     In conclusion, game biologists do their best in order to help the deer and the environment. 

The overpopulation is a problem that is difficult to solve.  With the methods used by game

biologists the overpopulation crisis can be reduced.  Game biologists plan to get involved and

help the deer.

 

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The Devistated Does- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Animal Rights Activists                                                                                            11/9/2010

     The Animal Rights Activists are important to the environment because we can manage the

population of deer and other organisms affecting the environment without harming them in any

 way or limiting their food supply. We can also think of what’s best for the deer instead of

threatening them or making them ill.  As humans, we should consider how the deer feel about

being poisoned and shot at. How would you feel if this was happening to you? It’s also

important to manage the deer’s food web and population density. There are not enough limiting

factors to support all of the wildlife including the deer. This is the reason for the population

being overbalanced.

     This problem is affecting humans because the overpopulation of deer forces the deer to

spread into human communities and more people will want to hunt deer and cause environmental

 issues. The deer population size has doubled in size in the last 15 years but that is no reason to

kill deer. If the hunters kill too many deer than deer may become endangered or extinct.

     Our solution to the problem of overpopulation is to close roads and highways once a month

and move vast amounts of deer into different states and cities without a large deer population,

putting into consideration that the deer would have to adapt to a new ecosystem. Then park

rangers or animal rights activists can observe their competition and predators. If the deer

population starts to deplete drastically then deer can be moved into different areas so they can

 survive. If this solution works then forests will be restored and become lush and green again.

     This possible solution may affect the livelihood of humans today because we have taken so

much of their habitat and used it in many ways like construction areas or building houses. It

will also affect us by the way we from now on handle the deer population.

 

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The Green Team- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Environmentalists                                                                                                    11/9/2010

Hello,

     The population of deer is rapidly growing; therefore the natural resources are becoming

scarce. Competition  is starting to come into play. There are not enough predators to take down

the deer population, so that means that deer population will just keep increasing until they move

 into the cities. Do you really want that to happen?

     The environmentalists strongly support the hunters because they have a clean way to get rid

of over populating the deer. Millions of plants could be saved because the hunters shoot the

deer instead of cutting down forests. Since other organisms eat the same thing as the deer,

those organisms may be spared instead of them dying. The doe seasons are also a good way for

bringing the deer population down. If the hunters kill bucks then deer population doesn’t go

down much. By the environmentalists supporting the hunters, the people support us. Having the

forests helps people and animals.

     This is a great solution. If the Government creates a temporary law that states that there

will be less bear hunting during hunting season. If you have this going on for a certain amount

of time, there will be a decrease in deer population. The bear will consume the deer because the

 bear are predators and the deer are the prey. The bear and the hunters doing their thing will

help control the deer population growth. This idea would also be environmentally friendly

because it is natural for bear to eat deer. After the deer population is under control the

government will take off the temporary law and will now allow the hunting of bear. Then the

deer population will be back to normal.

     Thank you!

 

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Save the Dear Deer Association- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Animal Rights Activists                                                                                          11/10/2010

POV

  We are the animal rights activists of the Save the Dear Deer Association. This association

is about balancing the deer population in wildlife areas. We are important because we

protect the deer from over hunting and decreasing in population. Deer are a key stone

species and are over populated in many places. Animal rights activists are greatly affected

by deer overpopulation. Without deer, there would be nothing to fight for. Their prey does

not affect any other animals when they need to eat. They are mainly herbivores. There

definitely is deforestation, but it's worth it to keep what was once at a low level of

population size at a balanced population size. Some possible solutions that affect everyone

at our association personally will most likely not affect our livlihood. The Save the Dear

Deer Association proposes a solution to the deer population that will decrease the

population but will not go as far to extinction. It is to not deprive the access of deer from

the hunters, and try to balance the population of deer. They are moving into cities and

towns, causing accidents, and over harvest their resources. There is not a real risk with the

 cost of our solution, but the resources that we need are already in peoples possession. We

may have to give up parts of the deer's ecosystem to successfully complete our solution.

The solution will not only benefit us, but will benefit the hunters, farmers, and many other

organizations by keeping deer away from their crops, and giving people more to eat. We

hope to reduce the deer population size to balance the herd where it will not harm us or

any other organization. We're almost always going to be around and will not disappear if

the deer population is not reduced. The easiest way to understand our solution is to fence

off parts of the forest and let it grow back to its normal size while the deer population

decreases. We believe that if we all decide to follow this solution, the deer population will

decrease and the forest size will be restored.

 

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The Sportsman's Heaven Wildlife and Game Agency- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th

Fish and Game Agency                                                                                           11/10/2010

     The Sportsman�s Heaven Wildlife and Game Agency

Our agency, the Sportsman�s Heaven Wildlife and Game Agency, is very important in the

management of deer.  We regulate the amount of deer that are hunted each year and

enforce game related laws.  We are important because we make sure that game

populations don�t fall to low or grow too high.  Lately we have been focusing on the rising

deer population.  The population size has been too big for too long because of lack of

limiting factors.  This keystone species has been rising dramatically and are threatening

local wildlife and organisms.  Deer venturing out on to roads causes major traffic hazards

to drivers.  In 2008 in Maryland, 1,962 deer-car collisions were reported.  The population

density leads to lower amounts of vegetation in surrounding areas.  The deer problem

affects our agency greatly because we issue the deer hunting licenses so we have to know

how many deer can be hunted per year to maintain a healthy ecosystem. 

   We have developed a solution that will benefit our group and other groups.  Our agency

will send out a team of expert scientists to monitor the deer population.  They will count

the amount of deer and evaluate their effect on the environment.  Using this information,

we will determine the amount of deer that each license allows to be hunted.  This will

benefit the hunters because all the hunters will be allowed to hunt each year.  This will also

 benefit the environmentalists because there will always be a healthy deer population in the

environment.  If the deer population was too high, each license would permit a greater

amount of deer to be hunted.  If the population was too low, each license would permit a

lower amount of deer to be hunted, allowing the deer population to grow higher.

   This solution would not directly damage our group because the hunters would not get

angry because only a few of them could hunt, and the environmentalists would have a

healthy environment.  The only cost to our group would be the money that we had to use to

hire the scientists to assess the deer population.

We are already willing to participate because we understand the dire need to reduce the

size of this keystone species population.

   If the deer population was reduced too greatly, our group would gain money because

there would be a higher demand for licenses which means the price of them would rise.  On

 the other hand, if the deer population is not reduced, our group would make more money

that way because there would be more deer to hunt.  This means that we could sell more

licenses.

Our solution allows our group to prosper because hunters will always be able to buy a

license, making us gain money.  This solution would help the environment because there

would always be a healthy deer population, which is our main concern.

 

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