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, 2010.
>
>
> 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
> 08/17/09 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 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..
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 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 1/31/2010? 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
