Consensus papers are in:
OH DEER!
Hampshire
High School
1st
Block Environmental Science
November 27,
2006
Consensus
Deer Management Plan
In our Environmental Science
class we had groups of students representing Farmers, Hunters,
Homeowners and the Forest. Although we had different opinions about
how to manage the deer population in Hampshire county we have come
to agreement on a single ingenious plan that is satisfactory to us
all.
Our hunters are willing to reduce
the overall number of animals if the remaining deer are larger with
more weight and bigger antlers. The farmers will be willing to
donate some animal feed that they grow if the homeowners will
create and maintain feeding stations away from the farms and house
plantings. These plantings will be away from high speed roads to
reduce accidents between deer and traffic. The farmers who donate
the crops will be provided fencing materials to keep deer away from
their most valuable produce.
More does will be harvested at
first to reduce the overall population. Hunters will not be allowed
to shoot bucks without a minimum number of points on their antlers.
Wildlife conservation officers
and research scientists and technicians will be hired to monitor the
health of the forest ecosystems and demographics of deer population.
The many values of a healthy deer
herd will cost and benefit everyone. Hunters will be paying license
fees, homeowners will be giving up time and space on their land for
the feeding stations and farmers will give up time to put up and
maintain fences. Everyone pays taxes that fund the government
supervisors and workers. The Forest has already paid enough . Its
time for it to benefit from a controlled deer population.
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Hampshire High - Block 2
Consensus
Plan
Our second block environmental
science class has found a way to develop a management plan for the
deer in Hampshire county.
We have hunters who want Quality
Deer Management for bigger bucks. They are willing to shoot does for
points on their license to get a permit for big bucks. They won’t be
allowed to shoot any bucks till they get a minimum number of points.
Our landowners and hunters will
be willing to fence off tracts of land for up to 5 years to let the
forest regenerate itself with seeds and small plants. After that
amount of time fences can be taken down and the deer can be allowed
access to the wooded area again. It will be a smaller number of deer
and we hope they wont be able to cause so much damage. Landowners
participating will get a tax break for the years their land is
fenced against deer. If more people want to do this than is needed a
lottery will be held to select participating landowners who get the
tax break. Farmers will get a tax break too if they fence out
productive or non productive land. These exclusion zones will be
changed after 5 years to improve forest areas all across Hampshire
county.
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Hampshire High - 4th block
Environmental
science class
Group Consensus on Deer
Management
We want to see the deer brought
down to the magic number of no more than 16 animals per square mile
in Hampshire county. If that will allow the forest to come back to
healthy condition and allow deer to get to be really big we are
willing to do several things.
Use the license fees for hunting
to pay for deer fences. Give farmers more permits to give to hunters
for use on farmlands. Let the farmers charge for hunting or leasing
their land to hunt those extra animals.
These are our ideas for how to
make things better.
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North Harford High School ~ Laura
O'Leary's Environmental II class
OH DEER
CONSENSUS
We have come to a consensus to
help control the deer population that will satisfy the interests of
each of our stakeholding groups. The plan consists of the
following:
1. An immediate extension of the
gun hunting season including an increase in doe bag limits. This is
a concession to the hunters and we believe it would help to
alleviate some of the pressure on the forest floor ecosystem over
time.
2. As a concession to the animal-
rights/environmentalist people, a 5 year plan to educate the public
about the importance of keystone predators to natural ecosystems.
After a public disclosure period, a timeline would be included to
project the gradual introduction of predators. Returning predators
to an ecosystem has been proven to restore ecosystems (Science Daily
2003). Given enough time to educate, people may become accepting of
the plan to reintroduce predators.
This plan is a compromise that
combines the concerns of each group and should be a successful
solution.
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East Hardy High School ~ Arthur Halterman's Vo Ag. 1 Class
Consensus plan
11/30/2006
In conclusion to all of our fourth block, Vo.
Ag. 1 stakeholder groups we have reached a consensus regarding the
deer population. 1. One way to help deminish the high deer
population in our region would be to regulate a longer hunting
season. We recommed deer licensing to exceed the already set
standards for hunting. 2. Another way to control the population of
deer would be to re-introduce native predators that were once
abundant in the areas surrounding Hardy and Hampshire counties.
Bringing back the once popular wolves and bears would enforce a
decrease in the great deer population. 3. In addition to the above
views we feel it would benifit not only the deer, but humans as
well, to construct pathways alongside of highways to guide deer
safely around the harmful roads. Fencing systems would be a cheap
and benificial way to reduce car accidents and deer injury.
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