Corps of Engineers

**cricket george** · 06-12-2010, 10:51 PM

You got that right, buddy!!!!! We want our dam doughnuts and dam coffee:p and when we have finished them then we want our dam fish too

.

This dam humididity be givin me fits but this to will pass.:D

I sure hope you hurry up and get the spare bedroom carpeted and the a/c turned on cause I need to come see you for an extended visit.

**cricket george** · 06-12-2010, 10:57 PM

Reaper - Do you think his finger stinks cause he likes to use limburger for catchin catfish? I hear tell he does.

Stink - I'm comin your way on Thursday with my bride, you better not holler, you better not shout cause I ain't Santas Claus but i am comin your way and I am staying til Sunday............................................ .................................................. .................................................. ......................at Tenkiller:D

**Crappie Reaper** · 06-13-2010, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by Stinkfinger

awww, you guys are just jealous because you've never had any dam doughnuts or dam coffee.:D

Here at Oologah, we have a dam bar, that serves dam cold beer, dam good food, and has dam great bands play. Keep your dam doughnuts.

**The Lip RIPPERS** · 06-13-2010, 09:29 AM

The damsite south Corps office has a large fleet of Dodge pickups neatly parked to remind us how our tax dollars are utilized around the lake.....they do their part for green friendly air quality and drive only 2 of the 20 vehicles.

**Stinkfinger** · 06-13-2010, 09:56 AM

I don't want no dam trouble and neither does the corp.:p

**Gamblinman** · 06-13-2010, 10:07 AM

Mr. Ryan DeVries
2088 Dagget
Pierson, MI 49339
SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20;

Site Location: Montcalm 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 Michigan 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, 2002.

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
Land and Water Management Division
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESPONSE:

Dear Mr. Price,

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

Reference your certified letter dated 12/17/2000 has been referred to me
to respond to. First of all, Mr. Ryan De Vries 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 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
natural 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.

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 P! art 301, Inland Lakes
and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act,
Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.3010,1 to
324.30113 of the Michigan 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
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
harrass them and call 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).

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 right 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
1/31/2002 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 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 answering machine, I am sending this response to
your office via another government organization - the USPS. Maybe,
someday, it will get there.

**The Lip RIPPERS** · 06-13-2010, 10:35 AM

THAT does not surprise me at all! Good one G-man.

**cricket george** · 06-13-2010, 11:25 AM

Dam this site is fun!:D Never a dull moment with this crew

**OkieDon** · 06-16-2010, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by cricket george

Lordy, Lordy its warm and humid. I am sitting here and its barely the middle of JUne and it is already hot. Summer crappie patterns should be kicking in pretty soon.

The A/C is kicking in a bit early this morning. I got to thinking about the Corps of Engineers and what they do. I know we cuss them when it is Spring and the crappie fishin is in full swing and the lakes are yo yoing. Let us not forget what their purpose is primarily.

1) Flood Control - hey, its spring and the monsoons have set in. The corps first job is flood control and boy do we need that. I just heard from the Kansas board that a Kansas lake came up 20' in 24 hours. Look oout Oolagah de water it be a comin. I bet the folks in Arkansas might be a wishin that the Little Missouri had not got so out of hand

2) Hydroelectric power is their second priority which we should be thankful for for at least the next few months so we can keep from melting. I can stay cool between fishing trips and work on gear without sweating my hinney off. Hmmm well that would burn a few more calories off my middle, maybe that would not all be bad.

3) Navigation is their 3rd priority and we need that to get goods up and down the navigational channel. This helps our economy which needs all the help it can get right now. I know in my business the money is not moving and alot of people are hurting.

4) Recreation is last

unfortunately. If we did not have the lakes then where would we fish and have good crappie fishing and an opportunity to have fellowship. You know if we did not have the lakes then we would have untold amount of damages because the flood water shows no mercy. The Corps has saved millions of $$ of damages because of the lakes holding back the floods. So when the lakes are high and have hydropower units on them
and there is a demand for electricity then they will be used first for electricity production. The electricity is sold to the various coops around the state for everyones use. Think on the bright side for a minute, if the Corps is releasing water then the fishing below these dams will cause the fishing to pick up.

We all must realize that we must endour some bitter with the sweet and we must work together to survive. Yes, the Spring weather causes the lakes to rise and fall but don't we all have a few fish in the freezer from this year?? Besides the summer pattern is here now and we can be happy that fishing should be stable and we can enjoy a couple of fish frys. WE may be sweating but so are the crappie because they know that Odie, LRippers,Reaper and, OMG the worse plague of all, the Chattster, CRAPPIE CHATT

is on the hunt and will show no mercy.:D Laissez les bonne temps roullez.

So grab some gatorade, some minners and lets get after them.:p

While those are some valid points, I'd have to say when it comes to excelling at all four, the Corps doesn't excel at any of them. You have to remember, they're a Gov beaurocracy and can trip over their own red tape.

When I first moved to Texas in 1999, I was amazed to find out there were very few Corps lakes. They have a lot of lakes, just like we do here, but most are ran by the State under river authority's set up by the State legislature.

I'm sitting here trying to think of the most run down or closed park I found on Lake's Conroe, Livingston and Houston while living there and I can not think of one. Yet, I can name a handful on Lake Eufaula alone.

While their lakes are constructed for basically the same purposes that ours were (with the exception of navigation, but then we don't have many that were built for that purpose either), their lakes seem to be managed better than ours, with more features (I'd love to see cleaning houses at our parks!)

I'm betting that if the State of Oklahoma managed our lakes through some type of authority boards, we wouldn't be fussing and cussing the Corps nearly as much as we do now.

Just saying, this is another example of something the States could do better than Uncle Sam...

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