50pts
Dear Park Ranger,
The Burmese pythons are invading the Everglades and I have a plan to help.
These large snakes have very few to no natural predators. The pythons are reproducing at a fast rate, causing competition for living space and food. The increased competition is causing the pythons to end up in neighborhoods surrounding the park. They also have a large appetite. Pythons are causing the local numbers of deer, fox, rabbits, and birds to decrease too fast. This decrease may cause a domino effect on all the living organisms in the Everglades as it disrupts the entire food chain.
It is important to control the Burmese python population to protect the local wildlife, bring balance back to the ecosystem of the Everglades, and prevent them from invading neighborhoods. Gaining control of the python population in this area will give the other animals a chance to repopulate. This will help to bring balance back to the Everglades ecosystem. Decreasing the python population may also help to keep competition down. The lowered competition may prevent the snakes from entering the surrounding neighborhoods.
I support a search and destroy plan for finding and eliminating nesting sites and python eggs. The search and destroy method does have a medium risk level to the environment. We may decrease that risk by educating the search team to tell the difference between python nests and other animal nests. I believe this plan is cost-effective and can bring about up to a 30% decrease in the python population with little to no harm to the other organisms that live there.
Thank you for your consideration,
John Doe
What is the name of the student whose letter you read?
Do you think your peer made a valid point for controlling the Burmese python population? Cite evidence explaining why or why not.
Do you think your peer made a successful plan for solving the Burmese python problem? Cite evidence explaining why or why not.
Is there anything that you would add to your peer's plan and/or change about the plan? Explain why or why not.