Post your letter to the park ranger by creating a new message. Be sure your letter details your plan to control the python population. For more instruction on how to write your letter see the 02.01 Biological Interactions activity in the lesson.

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If there are no student responses posted to this thread, please use sample below to complete your Segment One Collaboration assignment.

Dear Park Ranger,
I am writing today to propose a plan for controlling the Burmese python population in the Everglades National Park.

These large snakes are invading the Everglades area and 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. There is also concern that the pythons may harm children and pets as they continue to slither into the surrounding communities.

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 created a two-part plan to control the Burmese python population. First, I read that sometimes pet owners who purchase these snakes release them into the wild when the pythons get too big for them to handle. To prevent this from happening, I think it is important to create a drop off location where these pet owners may surrender the pythons. This will prevent new pythons from entering the Everglades. Second, 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.

If we work together, it is my hope that we will be able to gain control of the python population in the Everglades National Park.