Dam Beavers

Frozen 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 the State's letter

before you get to the response letter.

dam

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, 2008.

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 11/25/07

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 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.

Beaver

Beaver swimming

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 1/31/2008?

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

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