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we're deer North Harford H.S

deer                                                                                                                    10/20/2009

We are important because we’re deer, if you get rid of us you won’t have jobs. Without us you

would have one less way to bond with your family members. You could ultimately lead to the

government taking all your guns away because you would have no use for them. Unless you want

 to hunt squirrels from now on instead of us deer. If you already hunt squirrels from now on

you must go squirrel fishing.Obviously we are concerned because you are killing off all of our

 deer brethren. The more you wait to come up with a solution the more we will die by hunters

and loss of undergrowth so we starve. With our numbers we have also starved ourselves and

made our selves become susceptible too diseases. So hunters work with PETA no matter how

crazy they are. The solution of the hunters will kill us off or weaken the DNA because they

only want the trophy buck. We would like to see the fencing because that would help bring the

forest back. PETA needs to lay off a little bit because we are too many and will never be

controlled and left to nature to bring our numbers down. We understand they don’t want us

killed and think some of the deer should be transferred to other states that are less populated.

Depending on what you decide this will cost a lot such as the fencing or very little to none if

you let the hunters have their way. So do what is the best interests of us deer, farmers who

help us by planting deer buffers only a little since we can’t eat them all also in the interests of

hunters. The insurance company really just want their money and are very biased and not open

to much consensus.

 

 

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deers- Buffalo Gap HS

anmal rights activist                                                                                             10/23/2009

animal testingis when animals are put through somehting or injected to see how the will react to medical research.animals are used to find cures for diseases or to test drugs that have mild side affects. ainmal testing is wrong becuase they use poor defenceless animals to test things that could danger their lives. deer are hunted for sport most of the time a hunter will kill a deer and leave it lying in the woods and not use the meet or antlers. some people use weapons to small or will set traps and kill them some farmers will kill them just for being in a field or eating somehting.

 

 

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Students with Solutions- Southern Columbia H.S.

Students                                                                                                              10/23/2009

REVISED 10/29/09

We represent students who are learning about deer and may be making decisions about deer populations and management in the future.  We interact with deer and spot them numerous times a month when driving, hunting, or just spending time outdoors, because our area is fairly rural.  In our opinion, deer are a source of meat and an important balance to the ecosystem.  Deer impact our friends and family by eating crops, gardens, and fruit or seedling trees.  We feel the deer population is very large and needs to be controlled because the current PA deer herd is 15-45 per square mile in the area.  We feel the most efficient, humane, and cost effective way to manage the herd would be to hunt them, particularly of the bag limits were to increase, but this may not work for other groups, including the animal lovers. Another solution would be to foster the coyote population, because if that population were larger then there would be less deer.  Our opinion about the deer population would probably be similar to the views of the group of hunters or farmers because we share the same idea about deer management and both approve of the sport. On the other hand, our opinion about the deer population would be dissimilar to nature lovers or those against hunting because of the killing of deer or they feel it isn’t humane.  Despite this, they may be willing to accept our method if we ensure that the population is stable.  We could convince others to see our point of view more clearly and agree to our method of management by discussing the impacts large deer herds have on a population using statistical data.  A dramatic change in the deer population would give our future generations a different ecosystem than ours today.  It may also result in the extinction of some species of trees, deer, or other plants and animals.

 

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Simply for Nature- Southern Columbia H.S.

Animal Lover                                                                                                        10/23/2009

REVISED 10/28/09

We represent nature lovers who care about our surroundings.  We interact with deer several times per week around the neighborhood in our country setting.  In our opinion, deer are a part of nature and deserve appreciation.  The herd affects our personal property as we love to feed them despite some damage they tend to cause.  We feel the deer population, currently being 15-45 deer per square mile, is slightly high.  We feel the most efficient, humane, and cost effective way to manage the herd would be to reintroduce some natural predators. This may not work for all, however, because of the issues large predators such as loss of livestock. We also believe that hunting would work well. Hunting would stimulate the economy through the selling of tags and equipment. It would also keep too many deer from becoming a burden. As much as we love deer and love having them around, too many would be bad because there would not be enough food and space for them all. Trying to find food and space would cause them to run across roads possibly resulting in collisions. They also may suffer due to starvation. This is not the way we want to see them die. However, as the herd would begin to decrease due to hunting, we believe that the law should change in order to accommodate to decrease so that hunters would not be permitted to shoot more than a certain number of deer. This number would be reduced as the population would decline, for we do not want to kill too many deer. The population needs to be balanced, healthy, and stable.

 

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Tree Hugging Hippies- Petersburg H.S

Environmentalists                                                                                                 10/26/2009

 

  The position we chose to take is environmentalists, also known as “tree-hugging hippies.”

Our stance is that deer may be over populated but they are choosing the wrong ways to

control deer population. (1) Some cities around the United States, such as Rochester Hills,

Michigan never seriously research other alternatives for controlling deer population. There

are more humane ways, such as administering a vaccine to sterilize, or tranquilizing the

deer and moving them to under populated areas. The deer whistle has even proven to be

very effective.

  As environmentalists we want to protect our ecosystem in as many ways as possible. Not

only do the deer provide for a healthy ecosystem, but also they provide recreation to many

hunters and wildlife agencies. (2) These deer must be conserved, or used wisely, so that

there will be plenty for future generations of hunters.

  We understand that hunting is a big part of many people’s lives. Hunting isn’t necessarily

wrong but precautions need to be taken in order to preserve our deer population. The

future is not clear and no one knows what can happen to the population of deer. Deer are

very helpful to our way of life; they fertilize the soil, provide us with food, and are known

for giving us an exciting game to play.

 

Works Cited

(1)        http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/help-us-save-our-deer#

(2)        http://animalrights.change.org/blog/view/the_management_of_deer

 

 

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Deer Huggers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Animal rights activists(deer)                                                                                10/30/2009

Deer that are sickly can be killed by the hunters and that means that the deer population will be strong and not overpopulated. If the deer population is strong there would not be as much of an increase in population due to the competition factor. Overall the smartest idea is for the hunters to kill only the sickly deer so that the drop off and increase won’t be as drastic. So that the strong deer will continue to thrive and the competition factor for the food, water, and shelter will be present through the strongest and healthiest deer that the population has to offer.

  Hunters that are killing the deer are increasing the population of the deer. So if they kill the sick and not the strongest ones then the population will go down, because of the competition factor. Environmentalists are trying to also kill the deer because the deer are eating all the plants and the forests are being utterly destroyed. For having a good controlled population you need to have at most 16 deer per square mile. Recent census       said that in most parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania the deer population have been 67 deer per square mile. That is entirely too much deer for the forests.

  Since there is too much deer for the forest to provide food for the deer they are going to farms and homes to eat crops and vegetables from the gardens and fields. Enraging the owners there is something to be done, there is lots of sickly deer from tick disease that are eating and disrupting the population. So if we get rid of them then the population will continue to decrease because of the dead deer and the competition factor within the strong and healthy deer.

  This deer crisis is nothing that can’t be handled but all we need is a good plan that benefits all parts and teamwork together to get this problem under control. It can be done and it will be done and the forests will be healthier than ever before.

 

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The people who study deer- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Game Biologists                                                                                                    10/30/2009

Biologist Perspective

 We study the interaction, life cycle and diseases of white tailed deer.  The parasites are; deer ked, lice, ticks, mites, and Psoroptic mange. When white tailed deer drink from the polluted water of the bay they get sick and spread the diseases making other deer sick.

 Our solution is to enlarge the hunting season, but have mostly sick and weak deer to be killed instead of the strong deer. This will help the environment by deer population small enough for the forests to grow. It will also help by having new deer become stronger. The extended   hunting season will also help the farmers by the forests having enough resources to support the deer population so the deer won’t eat the crops and less deer will come out of the forest. The hunters will be happy because they still get to hunt. The hunters will kill the elder/sickly deer that will reproduce deer with worse traits. The fish  and game agency will agree because they will get money from the hunters to let them in the land. This plan will impact us by having the sick deer populace gone and having strong deer for our studies. The Animal Rights Activists agreed on the condition that only the bucks and sickly deer are killed.

 In conclusion, if the deer population is not reduced, then the deer could eat all the greens and the other species that depend on that food source will either move away or perish because of lack of food. The deer will also take up the space that is suitable for offspring and living quarters. The resources are already low enough, why have more deer to take the rest of it?

 

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The Winners of the Game- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Fish and Game Agency                                                                                         10/30/2009

  The Fish and Game agency is tasked with the regulation of the hunting season.  The deer population has lately been increasing and causing environmental issues such as deforestation within the understory and threatening the ecosystem.  In this situation, human impact may be required to control the population size.  This is causing reduced vegetation, in forests and adjacent home gardens and/or farms.  Deer also cause problems on wooded roads, running in to cars and causing massive damage.  In order to control the deer population, we are proposing to increase the hunting season.  The current hunting season is from December 1st to January 2nd for archery and November 14th to January 2nd for firearms.  We are proposing to make the male deer hunting season (for both firearms and bows) from May 15th to December 15th.  Hunters may only take a maximum of four healthy male deer a month.  The hunting season for female deer is October 3rd through October 30th.  Female deer that are pregnant or seen with fawns may not be hunted.  Fawns may not be hunted either.  Through this policy, this species may be less harmful to its community.  Controlling the deer population will allow the understory and keystone species to grow back and restore the natural habitat of the deer.  Our policy benefits all of the stakeholders including homeowners, farmers, animal rights activists, ecologists, environmentalists, the game biologists, hunters, and ourselves. The price for this  would be minimal, ranging from  $25-$200.  Overall, this project is a beneficial project and is worth the efforts of stakeholders

 

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HAVE YOU HUGGED A TREE TODAY?- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Environmentalists (the ecosystem)                                                                           11/2/2009

     The overpopulation of deer is a major issue. It affects trees dramatically. The

population density has increased by so much in the past few years. Ecosystems before deer

 have saplings and understory. When deer are introduced to a forested ecosystem they

begin eating the undergrowth. The forest does not grow or change because of the deer and

 eventually it will die. The deer population could healthily live in the forests if they were not

 overpopulated. Because of human impact the predator population has decreased. With the

declining predator population, the deer have had a chance to overpopulate. We need to

introduce more predators, such as wolves, bears, and lynx. With more predators the forest

 will naturally balance itself. This may cost some money to ship in the predators, but in the

end it will pay for itself. This will also allow the understory to grow, helping trees survive.

If we took meager donations, then we could have enough money to bring in around fifty to

one hundred wolves. We may be harmed by the predators, though. We would need to teach

the general public about woods safety. If we do not reduce the deer population, then all

the trees will die.          This solution will help all stakeholders in this controversial issue. It will

help animal rights activists because it is a humane way to keep the population in check

(predator prey relationships have been going on since predators and prey evolved, it is just

a natural food web). It will be good for farmers because the deer would not go into open

fields because they would be conspicuous. This will be good for game biologists because the

 restoration of the natural food web will cause the balance of the ecosystem to stay

balanced. This will be good for home owners because deer will become less populated

naturally and they will no longer need to come onto your properties to get food. This will be

 good for fish and game agencies because it will restore the natural balance of the

ecosystem. This will be good for hunters because it will provide a more challenging hunt.

  People should have natural predators instead of malevolent hunters. The hunters can

easily over shoot the deer which threaten the population in a negative way. Natural

predators, such as Lynx, Wolves, and Bears somehow know the order and natural balance

of the earth and nature. This will benefit the species because there will be more than just

one keystone species in the forest. This will benefit the entire ecosystem.

 

 

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

Animal Rights Activists                                                                                           11/2/2009

As we all know the deer are over populated, which is causing are all the forests to

disappear. Once the deer’s habitat is destroyed, the deer will not have any shelter or food,

and those things are needed for the species survival. Also if the forests are destroyed then

 it will become an environmental issue. So we the Animal Rights Activists have found a way

to replenish the forests and bring the deer population down to a good size. Our idea is to

fence off an area and bring about six tenths of the population to the fenced off are by

tranquilizing them with tranquilizing darts. Once they are asleep we will put them into cages

 and drive them to the off to the fenced of areas and release them there. The deer left in

the forests will be there so that the hunters can have hunting season, because now a day

deer’s main predators are hunters. The deer that are in the fenced off will slowly decrease

 the population size, because there will be no saplings for them to eat so then there will be

a huge limiting factor. So once the forest ecosystem has started to replenish from the lack

 of deer, we will bring back the deer population which has decreases so then they will be

equal again. Also is the deer population ever gets to high again we can bring them back to

the fenced off are so that the process can start all over again. Though once the deer

population is down to a good size it should stay like that because of hunting season. Our

Idea also benefits all stake holder groups, like the homeowners because with less deer

there will be less deer accidents. Also the hunters will still have deer as prey when they

hunt during hunting season.

 

 

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The Tree Huggers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Environmentalist (trees)                                                                                          11/2/2009

As an environmentalist I have to stand for the trees in saying that the population of deer

has to be cut down. The deer are killing trees by eating the saplings and they are hurting

the trees by rubbing on them with their antlers to mark their territory, this is affecting the

 ecosystem and food web. The deer problem is hurting us as well as helping us so we will

have to give some things up like the deer do. The trees will be risking getting overpopulated

 like the deer are now. The population size of both the species will be affected. The deer

could become under populated if people continue to hunt a lot. The environmentalists would

most likely prefer to not kill the deer but that is what we’ve come to. The deer hunting can

easily get out of control. We suggest that people be allowed to bring down at least 10 deer

at a time. Then a whole bunch of hunters could come to the area and take their own deer.

Also people who are selling guns may have some trouble supplying. Right now the trees are

the prey and the deer are the predators. Another solution the organisms’ fate it to make

them adapt to not eating trees. Even thought the deer right now eat 70 million dollars

worth of crops and 75 million dollars worth of trees it would be worth it to try to purchase

 other plants for them to eat. (Williams 1).The competition for other foods would rise, but

the people could bring up the amount provided. The different species of deer eat different

 things so this may cost a lot to change the deer’s food. Changing the deer’s food source

makes the deer be in the fate of human impact. This could cause the whole deer population

to die out. We would have to have other groups participate in both of the solutions. In the

first the hunters and in the second many of the other groups could participate in helping.

Bibliography

William, Ted “WANTED: MORE HUNTERS” Audubon N.p., n.d. web 2

November 2009 <http://www.audubonmagazine.org/incite/incite0203.html>

 

Warner, David A. "Notes on White-tail Deer Populations in WV – A Forester’s Perspective." . N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009 <http://www.cacaponinstitute.org/html/CI%20E-

classroom/Warner_Deer.html>.

 

"Notes on White-tail Deer Populations in WV – A Forester’s Perspective." Rutgers The State University Of New Jersey, 2009. Web. 2 Nov. 2009 <http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/deerdamage/>.

 

 

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wolves attack- North Harford H.S

wolves                                                                                                                    11/3/2009

The more dense a deer population is, the greater the potential for other mortality factors. Wolves affect the number of harvestable deer a year because deer constitute the main prey of wolves. Wolves kill about 20% and hunters about 30% of the legal bucks, and of all yearling and adult deer of both sexes, wolves take about 15% and hunters 7%. Deer would affect the wolf population if there was a limited amount of deer in the area. If there is an abundant amount of deer there would be less competition between wolves. This allows for the wolf population to be greater since the food source is greater. Also wolves are being destroyed by farmers because they will attack their livestock. So when the farmer kills the wolves, that lowers the population, and then they will kill less deer. The deer will cause problems for the farmer’s crops and they will venture out in the roads and cause automobile accidents. Farmers are going to have to pay $4.00 to $6.00 per foot to fence in their livestock so the wolves wouldn’t get to them, and would focus more on the deer than the farmer’s livestock. The farmers are going to have to give up some of their profit so they can afford the fencing. In the end this solution will benefit them because it will save their livestock. This is a positive problem because this will lower deer population and prevent the wolves from destroying farmer’s livestock. I feel that if you would put fences up it would prevent a lot of the problem we have with the wolves.

 

 

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Deer Control- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

Game Biologists                                                                                                     11/10/2009

Revised

 

The game biologists are very important because we control hunting, fishing and trapping

seasons. We try to keep populations under control. The deer populatin is way too high.

Deers are spreading and destroying plants and animals in the process.The deers are not

only wasting resources but spreading diseases with deer ticks. Deer ticks are animals that

feed on blood and can give you lymes disease in the process. So if we let the hunters

reduce the population than we can introduce the deer into an environment that can sustain

them.

 

 

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Deer Lovers!!- Jefferson H.S

deer                                                                                                                     11/16/2009

Deer shouldn’t be killed off, even though some people think there is an overpopulation of them. They do need to be controlled….because there isn’t enough food for all of them. If the deer don’t have enough food, then they will end up dying anyway. Foresters should plant more hardwood trees, because that is what deer eat. Deer seem to be fighting for food, and it’s better to see a less population of deer, instead of watching them suffer. 

 

 

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