Dear
Mr. Price:
Re:
DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N, R10W, Section 20; Montcalm County
Your certified
letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed to me to respond to. You sent
out a great deal of carbon copies to a lot of people, but you neglected
to include their addresses. You will, therefore, have to send them
a copy of my response.
First of all,
Mr. Ryan DeVries is not the legal landowner and/ or contractor at
2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan. I am the legal owner and a couple
of beavers are in the (state unauthorized) process of constructing
and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet 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 natural building materials "debris". I would like
to challenge your department to emulate their dam project any time
and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state that 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 the State to conform to said dam request? If you are
not discriminating against beavers, through the Freedom of Information
Act, I request complete 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 Complied 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- being unable to read English) be sure they are
read their Miranda Rights first. As for me, I am not going to cause
more flooding or dam debris jams by interfering with these dam builders.
If you want to hurt these dam beavers, be aware I am sending a copy
of your dam letter and this response to PETA.
If your dam
Department seriously finds all dams of nature inherently hazardous
and truly will not permit their existence in the State, I seriously
hope you are not selectively enforcing this dam policy, or once
again both I and the Spring Pond Beavers will scream prejudice!
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 the water flows downstream. They have more dam right
than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to it's 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 a more elevated enforcement action
right now. Why wait until 1/31/98? 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 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 prosecuting
the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going
to be investigating the beaver dam, watch your step! (The bears
are not careful where they dump.)
Being unable
to reply to your dam request, and being unable to contact you on
your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam
office via another government organization- the dam USPS.
Maybe, someday,
it will get there.
- Sincerely,
- Steven L.
Tvedten
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