Anyone seen this?
: The Law is the Law
This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan
DeVries by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality, State of Michigan. This guy's response
is hilarious, 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, 2003.
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 12/17/02 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 skillful use of natures 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 harassing them and calling
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
1/31/2003? 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.
Thank You,
Ryan DeVries & The Dam Beavers
: The Law is the Law
This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan
DeVries by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality, State of Michigan. This guy's response
is hilarious, 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, 2003.
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 12/17/02 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 skillful use of natures 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 harassing them and calling
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
1/31/2003? 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.
Thank You,
Ryan DeVries & The Dam Beavers
