Whitetail Deer Simulation Activity
Situation: “Beautiful View Wildlife Sanctuary and NatureCenter”.
Size: 1,000 acres. Present size of herd: 350 whitetail deer.
Problem: Deer are overpopulated. Refuge managers are attempting to create a representative northeastern Wisconsin forest and the deer are destroying their plantings.
The fence around the refuge is 10 feet high and although it greatly restricts the movement of deer in and out of the refuge occasionally deer move through an open gate or a windstorm will drop a tree on the fence creating a temporary opening.
Other details: The refuge is on the edge of Metropolis, Wisconsin, (within the city limits), a city of 150,000 people. The deer herd is popular with school groups and families who like to view the deer and some of the deer have become tame enough to feed by hand.
The refuge is within the city limits and any sort of hunt would require special permission from the Metropolis City Council.
Activity: Members of the Environmental Science class will be divided into groups representing real life organizations. Each group will have to develop a workable plan that is consistent with the views of their group. They will then present their plan at a city council meeting and attempt to persuade the Metropolis City Council to adopt their management plan for dealing with the deer situation.
Groups:
1. Friends of Animals: Animal rights group. Anti-hunting, anti-fishing, etc.
2. Safari Club: A hunting club consisting primarily of wealthy big game trophy hunters.
3. Suburban Whitetail Management, Inc.: A group of bow hunters organized to control deer populations in urban areas. They do not charge for their services and all of the venison is donated to charity.
4. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA: A very high profile animal rights group.
5. Izaak Walton League: A conservation group made up mostly of people who like to fish and hunt. This group is very active on conservation issues.
6. White Buffalo, Inc.: A company of professional marksmen that can be hired to reduce urban deer populations. They are paid to shoot the deer with rifles and the venison is donated to charity.
7. N.E.W. Audubon Society: An environmental group that is primarily concerned with maintaining a healthy environment. Their general philosophy is pro-hunting but they are not involved in hunting issues to any large extent.
8. Metropolis Chapter of the National Rifle Association: An organization that is primarily a lobby for gun owners and manufacturers but also gets involved in hunting/anti-hunting issues.