The Dams

[W. Gray]

Guess one would have to say this is politics. I cannot vouch for the authenticity but it was sent to me via Email




State 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, 2006< /st1:date>. 

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.



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 12/17/02 has been handed to me for response.  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 nature's building materials "debris."

I 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 for 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 since they are 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 1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring 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

[W. Gray]

A bell just rang in my head and I went looking through the past few issues of the Prairie Star.

I was thinking Elk County but it turned out to be Chautauqua County. A couple have a 200 acre ranch in the county and they have beaver on their property.

Anyone heard of any beaver in Elk County? Around here in Colorado there are from time to time news reports of beaver working in the urban area.

[jarhead]

Elk county is over run with beaver. If a pond has willows and cottonwoods around it and clear out in the middle of no-where--it has or will have beaver in it

[Janet Harrington]

Kelly Wunderlich Murphy took a picture of a beaver on Main street Moline the other night. Can't imagine what it would be looking fo on Main Street unless it wanted to have a beer at the bar. LOL

[jarhead]

Beavers at a bar ? Naw, think I'll leave that one for Warph.

[Diane Amberg]

We have lots of them too. For being rather urban and then suburban right here it's surprising we have so many. We see their tail drag marks very commonly, most often near city hall or closer to me where the Moose and Elk lodges are.

[W. Gray]

Maybe in Moline that was Bucky looking for Ipana?

Bucky Beaver was created by Walt Disney.

His voice was Jimmie Dodd, who hosted the Mickey Mouse Club.

"Brusha, brusha, brusha"

[Diane Amberg]

It's dandy for your teeth!

[W. Gray]

Some of the really old timers on this forum just might remember the western movie series "The Three Mesquiteers," a cowboy takeoff on the Three Musketeers. Over fifty of these movies were made.

The three cowboys were Tucson Smith, Stony Burke, and Lullaby. The casting was very fluid. John Wayne sometimes played the part of Stony Burke.

People may remember that Max Terhune played the Lullaby part in many of the films and sometimes had a ventriloquist dummy named Elmer with him as he rode the plains.

Jimmie Dodd, the voice of Bucky Beaver and the host of the Mickey Mouse Club, played Lullaby in several films, though.

[Warph]

Bucky Beaver walks into a seedy bar in Moline and says to 
LarryJ, the bartender, "I'll have a gin... uh...............................
and tonic."

LarryJ asks, "What's with the big pause?"

Bucky says, "I dunno, I've always had them.''