Writing Project #1 Research Proposal Total Points: 100 Peer review draft: 6/27 Final draft due: 6/29 Prompt: We have spent the last week exploring a host of issues (social, environmental, and infrastructural) that impact our community. By now, you should have a pretty good idea of which topic you’re interested in writing on. Remember, you will be spending the rest of the semester researching this topic, so choose wisely! It is also important that you think about the scope of your problem. In order to achieve the right scope, you will need to be as specific and local as possible. For example, the topic of transit problems in Miami-Dade County is just too broad. A better topic would be one that takes focuses on a specific area in Miami and a specific mode of public transportation (for example, the MIA Metrorail at the airport). Once you have your topic, you will have to formulate it into a question. Keeping with the example from above, you might want to ask: How can the MIA Metrorail at the airport improve its services? Your proposal will include these clearly titled sections: 1. Issue. In this section, you should identify and describe your issue. Try to be as detailed as possible! Be sure to explain why you are interested in researching this problem, and what connection, if any, you have to this issue. Include an overview of when and how the problem got started. Who is being affected by it? What areas of Miami are being impacted? Why does the problem persist? Why is this problem important and worthy of research? You will want to include at least three direct quotes from your sources in this section. 2. Audience. Remember, your final research paper will ask that you provide a solution to the problem you’ve selected. In order to do so, you will need to have a clear understanding of your intended audience. In other words, who can do something about the problem? Who can take action? Think specifically about your particular research topic and the specific type of person/group that you want to target. Consider their level of involvement in the community, their access to resources, and their views on the topic. This section should conclude by providing a possible solution in the form of a thesis statement: Target audience should fix/help/address the issue by BLANK. 3. Methods: Identify and describe the type of research you have already done on this topic. For this part, you will want to provide an overview of the 3-5 popular sources you found on your own. You will also want to consider where you will go from here. In other words, where will you look for sources? How and where will you locate statistics, testimonies, studies, newspaper articles, documentaries etc.? How will these sources help you better understand your topic? 4. Format: Your research proposal should follow all MLA guidelines, including a heading, doublespaced, 1-inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman font, and proper pagination. Your proposal should be 2-3 pages in length. You should NOT go over the page limit under any circumstances. Grading criteria: I will use the following criteria to grade your research proposal: • • • • • • • • • • Does the proposal clearly and thoroughly explain the problem and its causes? Does the proposal use credible research to support the explanation of the problem and its causes? Does the proposal explain the significance of the problem? Does the proposal use credible research to effectively prove the significance? Are all sources incorporated effectively through a combination of quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing? Does the proposal state a clear, specific research question? Does the proposal provide a clear, specific explanation of the types of sources that you will be using to research your topic? Does the proposal also explain why these types of sources will be the most appropriate for this topic? Are all sections of the proposal unified, coherent, and easy to identify through their headings? Is the writing clear and free of errors? Does it show evidence of thorough proofreading? Are all sources cited correctly, both in the proposal and in an MLA-formatted works cited page?   Your first name Last name Professor's name Course Day, month, year The Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) should educate Miami residents on the issue of green iguanas by providing free local workshops. Issue According to The Florida Wildlife Commission, green iguanas "first appeared in Florida in the 1960s across the regions of Hialeah, Coral Gables and Key Biscayne" (myfwc.com). Since then, green iguanas have made their way into Miami, causing damage to residential properties and gardens. In fact, green iguanas have been known to cause widespread damage in neighborhoods by "digging burrows that collapse sidewalk foundations and seawalls" (National Geographic). Green iguanas also leave droppings on docks, boats, seawalls, porches, decks, pool platforms and inside swimming pools, which can transmit bacteria like Salmonella to humans through contact by their feces. Miami residents, in comparison to the rest of Florida, are primarily being affected by the invasive species since geographically, Miami is subtropical. Since green iguanas like water and are great swimmers, they are typically found on properties that have swimming pools or that are located near bodies of water (like canals). However, homes that have a lot of foliage are also at risk of being affected by these invasive species. As stated in an article written by the Miami Herald, green iguanas are drawn to homes that have "flower or fruit tress". Since Miami remains warm all year, the green iguanas population continues to increase. In addition, they reproduce at quick rates. According to a magazine article, "at age three, green iguanas hit sexual maturity and every 3-4 months, a female iguana will lay between 20 to 60 eggs" (Reptilesmagazine.com) Green iguanas can also live up to 20 years in the wild. Due to these reasons, the issue has been difficult to tackle. Last name !2 Despite their prevalence, most homeowners in Miami don't know what to do when they encounter a green iguana. If Miami residents turn for help from city officials they are often met with little to no support. For example, Miami Dade animal control will not respond to a call for a green iguana. As a result, many residents lack the appropriate information and resources to deal with the issue. Audience The Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) understands the importance of fighting against invasive species and thus should take on the issue. Kristen Sommers, who leads the agency’s Wildlife Impact Management Section, explains that "more and more people are reaching out to us for help with the nonnative species they are encountering" (FWC). Yet, the agency focuses most of their efforts on "high-priority invasive species", such as the Burmese pythons and the lion fish (FWC). They do not place their efforts towards combating green iguanas, partially because they are not seen as a threat to the public or as an immediate threat to the environment. As a result, green iguana have been largely ignored by the FWC. One of the ways in which the FWC can help with this issue is by expanding on a program that they have in the Florida Keys. Currently, they host workshops for residents from the Keys who want to learn more about this invasive species. FWC should make effort to further educate and come up with long lasting, efficient solutions an average Miami resident can use to combat the invasive green iguanas and lower their population. It is FWC’s interest in helping because they promote how they listen to citizen complaints and do not want to loose credibility. FWC is also expanding their resources and efforts, so it seems now would be an appropriate time to start including green iguanas on the list of invasive species they combat. Last name !3 Methods I am interested in finding a more viable solution, than FWC states, to combat green iguanas because I have seen the iguanas affect the wildlife in my own neighborhood. My neighborhood has a canal with many ducks and palm trees with parrots and red birds. Slowly, the green iguanas have taken over the animals’ habitats and food sources. I understand the problem exist to a further extent in other parts of Miami, and my neighborhood is just a glimpse of a bigger picture. My research began in class while reviewing the Miami Herald article regarding Florida hunters getting paid to bag pythons. When I discovered various methods the FWC has placed to combat pythons, I was surprised how nothing is being done about the green iguanas. I will use the Miami Herald article and an article from Popular Science regarding how pythons in a Florida are combated in order to see if the methods can be mirrored for green iguanas. I then read about the lifestyles of green iguanas on a National Geographic and Reptiles Magazine online articles regarding how big they can grow, their habitat, and reproduction rates. Each factor contributes to find an appropriate solution, being that every invasive species is unique. Lastly, I searched for individual testimonies regarding how people feel about green iguanas. I found a podcast from the Dan Le Batard Show, where Ron Miguel, a wildlife expert and photographer, who currently is the communications director of the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, spoke about how he feels iguanas hurt the Miami environment and what should be done about the iguanas. I also found an article from CNN, where in January 2018, Florida residents have what they think, are frozen iguanas in their backyards due to the drop in temperature. It’s a common misconception that iguanas just freeze and fall out of trees, because they are actually just blood shocked from the cold. It’s this lack of knowledge on green iguanas and how Miami residents can combat them that motivates me to inform and find a solution. Muñiz !4 Works Cited “Green Iguana.” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision , State of Florida, myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/reptiles/green-iguana/. “Green Iguana.” National Geographic , www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/g/greenMader, Doug. “Breeding Iguanas.” Reptiles Magazine, Pet360 Media, www.reptilesmagazine.com/Breeding-Iguanas/. Magill, Ron. “Hour 3: Kenny G.” The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, 30 Jan. 2018, itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hour-3-kenny-g/id934820588?i=1000401078336&mt=2. Staletovich, Jenny. “Florida Hunters Bag 500 Pythons in Five Months.” Miamiherald, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2017, www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/ article168057127.html. Willingham , AJ. “The Cold Is Causing Frozen Iguanas to Fall from Trees in Florida.” CNN.com, 6 Jan. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/01/05/weather/iguana-cold-florida-bomb-cyclonetrnd/index.html.
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