Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
This one is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan
DeVries by The
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, State of
Michigan.
Wait till you read this guy's response-but read the
State's letter
before
you get to the response letter.
SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;
Montcalm County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of
Environmental Quality
that
there has been recent unauthorized activity on the
above referenced
parcel
of property. You have been certified as the legal
landowner and/or
contractor who did the following unauthorized
activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams
across the outlet
stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this
type of activity.
A review of the department's files shows that no
permits have been
issued.
Therefore, the Department has determined that this
activity is in
violation
of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural
Resource and
Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public
Acts of 1994, being sections 324. 30101 to 324. 30113 of
the Michigan
Compiled
Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of
the dams partially
failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and
flooding at
downstream
locations. We find that dams of this nature are
inherently hazardous
and
cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders
you to cease and
desist
all activities at this location, and to restore the
stream to a
free-flow
condition by removing all wood and brush forming the
dams from the
stream
channel. All restoration work shall be completed no
later than January
31,
2002. Please notify this office when the restoration
has been
completed so
that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by
our staff.
Failure to
comply with this request or any further unauthorized
activity on the
site
may result in this case being referred for elevated
enforcement action.
We
anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation
in this matter.
Please feel free to contact me at this office if you
have any
questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative Land and Water Management
Division
____________________________________________________
This is the actual response sent back:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;
Montcalm County.
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed
to me to respond
to. I
am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088
Dagget, Pierson
Michigan. A couple of beavers are in the (State
unauthorized) process
of
constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams
across the outlet
stream
of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for,
authorize, nor supervise
their
dam project, I think they would be highly offended
that you call their
skilful use of nature building materials "debris. " I
would like to
challenge
your department to attempt to emulate their dam
project any time and/or
any
place you choose. I believe I can safely state there
is
no way you could ever match their dam skills, their
dam
resourcefulness,
their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam
determination
and/or
their dam work ethic.
As to your request, I do not think the beavers are
aware that they must
first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this
type of dam
activity.
My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring
Pond Beavers or
(2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State
to conform to said
dam
request? If you are not discriminating against these
particular
beavers,
through the Freedom of Information Act, I
request completed copies of all those other applicable
beaver dam
permits
that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if there
really is a dam
violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of
the Natural
Resource and
Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public
Acts of 1994, being sections 324. 30101 to 324. 30113 of
the Michigan
Compiled
Laws, annotated.
I have several concerns. My first concern is - aren't
the beavers
entitled
to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are
financially
destitute
and are unable to pay for said representation-so the
State will have to
provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's
dam concern that
either
one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain
event causing
flooding
is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the
Department is
required
to protect.
In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond
Beavers alone rather
than
harass them and call their dam names. If you want the
stream "restored"
to a
dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers,
but if you are
going to
arrest them, they obviously did not pay any
attention to your dam
letter
they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a
right to build
their
unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the
grass is green and
water
flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do
to live and enjoy
Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental
Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the
natural
resources
(Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams. ).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this
dam case can be
referred
for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why
wait until
1/31/2002?The
Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and
there will be no
way
for you or your dam staff to contact/harass
them then.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your
attention to a real
environmental quality (health) problem in the area. It
is the bears!
Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I
definitely believe you
should
be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the
beavers alone. If you
are
going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step!
(The bears are
not
careful where they dump!)
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and
being unable to
contact
you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this
response to your
dam
office.
DeVries by The
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, State of
Michigan.
Wait till you read this guy's response-but read the
State's letter
before
you get to the response letter.
SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;
Montcalm County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of
Environmental Quality
that
there has been recent unauthorized activity on the
above referenced
parcel
of property. You have been certified as the legal
landowner and/or
contractor who did the following unauthorized
activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams
across the outlet
stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this
type of activity.
A review of the department's files shows that no
permits have been
issued.
Therefore, the Department has determined that this
activity is in
violation
of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural
Resource and
Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public
Acts of 1994, being sections 324. 30101 to 324. 30113 of
the Michigan
Compiled
Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of
the dams partially
failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and
flooding at
downstream
locations. We find that dams of this nature are
inherently hazardous
and
cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders
you to cease and
desist
all activities at this location, and to restore the
stream to a
free-flow
condition by removing all wood and brush forming the
dams from the
stream
channel. All restoration work shall be completed no
later than January
31,
2002. Please notify this office when the restoration
has been
completed so
that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by
our staff.
Failure to
comply with this request or any further unauthorized
activity on the
site
may result in this case being referred for elevated
enforcement action.
We
anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation
in this matter.
Please feel free to contact me at this office if you
have any
questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative Land and Water Management
Division
____________________________________________________
This is the actual response sent back:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;
Montcalm County.
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed
to me to respond
to. I
am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088
Dagget, Pierson
Michigan. A couple of beavers are in the (State
unauthorized) process
of
constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams
across the outlet
stream
of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for,
authorize, nor supervise
their
dam project, I think they would be highly offended
that you call their
skilful use of nature building materials "debris. " I
would like to
challenge
your department to attempt to emulate their dam
project any time and/or
any
place you choose. I believe I can safely state there
is
no way you could ever match their dam skills, their
dam
resourcefulness,
their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam
determination
and/or
their dam work ethic.
As to your request, I do not think the beavers are
aware that they must
first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this
type of dam
activity.
My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring
Pond Beavers or
(2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State
to conform to said
dam
request? If you are not discriminating against these
particular
beavers,
through the Freedom of Information Act, I
request completed copies of all those other applicable
beaver dam
permits
that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if there
really is a dam
violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of
the Natural
Resource and
Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public
Acts of 1994, being sections 324. 30101 to 324. 30113 of
the Michigan
Compiled
Laws, annotated.
I have several concerns. My first concern is - aren't
the beavers
entitled
to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are
financially
destitute
and are unable to pay for said representation-so the
State will have to
provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's
dam concern that
either
one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain
event causing
flooding
is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the
Department is
required
to protect.
In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond
Beavers alone rather
than
harass them and call their dam names. If you want the
stream "restored"
to a
dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers,
but if you are
going to
arrest them, they obviously did not pay any
attention to your dam
letter
they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a
right to build
their
unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the
grass is green and
water
flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do
to live and enjoy
Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental
Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the
natural
resources
(Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams. ).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this
dam case can be
referred
for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why
wait until
1/31/2002?The
Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and
there will be no
way
for you or your dam staff to contact/harass
them then.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your
attention to a real
environmental quality (health) problem in the area. It
is the bears!
Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I
definitely believe you
should
be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the
beavers alone. If you
are
going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step!
(The bears are
not
careful where they dump!)
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and
being unable to
contact
you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this
response to your
dam
office.
:-laf :{
:-laf read!
