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Friday, March 28, 2008

The Dam

Please click onto the COMMENTS for the story.

9 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

Nancy L. sent me this.

This is just hilarious!
But you have to read the whole thing to really appreciate the humor of Mr. DeVries! Enjoy…

The Dam

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania .

This guy's response is hilarious, but read State's letter before you get to the response letter.

SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming 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 Pennsylvania 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, 2009.
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 and Water Management Division.

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/07 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .
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 skil lful 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.
These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. 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 Pennsylvania 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 them 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 1/31/2009? 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.
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

10:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds like the kind of letter responces destined for City Hall !!


Refreshing, Thanks Nancy.

11:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This "Dam" article

The "Dam" inspectors lost this one.
No "Dam" Tax.
How can the city pay the council people so well without that
"Dam'" Tax.

12:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just ask the Ramsey County commisioners ?

12:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think there is more to the city's crusade against it's weakest inhabitants than just bureaucratics.

In the book "The First Crusade", Pope Urban faced large and growing problems at home. He promoted the crusade as a cheap way to get things organized and to export his problems. The crusaders lived off the land and often attacked friends and foes to satisfy personal profit agendas.

I think Dawkins and Kelley organized their crusade to as an easy way to avoid responsibility for their mismanagement.

12:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any time someone is responsible for mismanagement in city hall, the leaders in local government try to cover their tracks.
They need people around to snitch on their bosses.

7:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A wake up call
To snitch, that is the same as blowing the whistle?
RIGHT.
More people need to get involved in telling about bad government before its to late and they have total control over our lives.
The government is the power and the people are just like ants that keep working till they die, then there are more ants to take their place.
Government can just use some chemicals on ants (people) and they are gone.
The government can start new colonies of workers from over the boarder that will obey them with no questions ask, they don't need us.
They can use and abuse their power and the people of our nation just go along with what they say is the real fact.
Wake up and die with pride, not with the anger and agony of intense torture of mind and body.

7:42 AM  
Blogger Nancy Lazaryan said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

10:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Citys new web site
Dam if we do and Dam is we don't.
http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/
check these inspectors:
No. 322= Joel Essling
No.326= Lisa Martin(Fosters X)
Heinous, actions against Betty Speaker
No.394= Paula Selley
For IRS purposes, File claims against the city MS609.43 Misconduct of public officials

10:30 AM  

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