Wildlife conservationists are concerned that the deer population might not be constant across the National Forest. The scientists found that there were 144 deer in a 16-square-mile area of the forest. In another part of the forest, conservationists counted 117 deer in a 13-square-mile area. Yet a third conservationist counted 216 deer in a 24-square-mile plot of the forest. Do conservationists need to be worried? a. Why does it matter if the deer population is not constant in a certain area of the National Forest? b. What is the population density of deer per square mile? The unit rate of deer per 1 square mile is _______. Constant of Proportionality: Explain the meaning of the constant of proportionality in this problem: c. Use the unit rate of deer per square mile (or 푦 푥 ) to determine how many deer there are for every 207 square miles. d. Use the unit rate to determine the number of square miles in which you would find 486 deer.