# DNR discovers large wetland violations in Crow Wing County



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

DNR discovers large wetland violations in Crow Wing County

The Associated Press - Sunday, October 15, 2006

AITKIN, Minn.

Wildlife officials are negotiating with a Crow Wing County landowner to restore at least five acres of wetlands that he disrupted in one of the largest violations they have ever seen.

The Department of Natural Resources said it discovered the damage on Scott Duffney's property in September after receiving a tip to the project along a stream between Terry Lake and Kruny Lake, about 6 miles north of Aitkin in central Minnesota.

Officials say Duffney used heavy equipment to fill in part of the stream, install duck-hunting blinds and build a road that partially blocked the stream.

Duffney has been told to remove fill from the stream and restore the bank and is still negotiating with the Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District on restoring five to six acres of wetlands.

"It's pretty massive," said Mike Pelloquin, northeast regional manager for the DNR Waters Division.

Duffney could not be reached for comment.

The state has been cracking down on landowners who destroy wetlands, issuing 429 cease-and-desist orders as of mid-August, said Capt. Perry Bollum, head of the DNR wetland enforcement program.

Violators can avoid litigation by cooperating with authorities to restore the wetlands.

___

Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com


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## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

way to go DNR


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## MNgoosekiller (Aug 21, 2006)

It very unfortunate how much damage has been done here. Much of the drainage destruction done to small lakes and wetlands were done before it was illegal or at least enforced. I was Looking at some DU maps that showed where former potholes were and where there is potential to create new ones. The stats are pretty remarkable. It's great the DNR is cracking down on these violations, glad to hear it. I really admire the system that you in ND and SD have for the prairie potholes, its very impressive! Work hard to protect it from the kind of habitat destruction that we've had here in MN. It takes little time to damage, but a long time to restore. I think were headed in the right direction, and I hope it keeps going that way. good luck to all and happy hunting!


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## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

Do you have a link for those DU maps, I would like to take a look at them.

Thanks.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

To my knowledge North Dakota has nothing like this


> the DNR wetland enforcement program.


 There are big drainage actions going on here all the time which is supposed to call for repayment of farm program benifits and fines. Never happens. It is the code of the west in North Dakota.


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## MNgoosekiller (Aug 21, 2006)

Heres the link for the DU maps:
http://www.ducks.org/Page2473.aspx
There are three maps
Habitat Mapping System
Minnesota Watershed Model
Minnesota Restorable Wetlands
They are interactive maps for Minnesota. The restorable wetlands one is probably the most informative. It shows how attractive certain areas are to waterfowl, where there is potential for restoring wetlands ect... If they could restore that many wetlands it would greatly improve hunting. Good luck and happy hunting! :beer:


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## Dunk221999 (Sep 11, 2002)

Want to talk about crimes, how bout all the farmers that continue to drain tile their fields????????

And people wonder why there is so much flooding these days, when water is rushing down drainage ditches into the rivers at record speeds because there is no where for the water to go. Take a drive along through the red river valley in late march-early april and you'll see what I mean. You could white water raft down those ditches.

I wish that we could pass some legislation to say ok that is fine if you tile... because i understand farmers seem to think they need to get into their fields on april 1st now days, but if they must tile their fields i think it should be a law that they dig a pond on part of that field say a 2 acre slough in which the water can drain into. It would help wildlife, controll erosion, controll flooding, and allow farmers to get water off of their fields.

I understand that we need farmers, I mean we all have to eat and i don't want to sound like i am degrading farmers. I understand how hard they work and what they provide for us. Half of my relatives are farmers and i give them crap about this as much as i can. THey just laugh and say farmers get a free pass with these issues.

I just think its sad that counties in southwestern mn which used to be 90+% wetlands now have a drainage ditch every square mile and are now around 10% wetlands.

Everyone is getting upset over 5 acres which they should, but farmers today are continuing to drain tile their fields which doesn't allow semi-permiable wetlands to come back and form. (vital to duck production)

I have written my congress men and women about this issue. The emergency wetlands loan act is a start, but much more can be done. As drain tiling is enforced under the farm bill as an illegal activity even if it does drain a pond that forms only 4 out of 10 years.

Sad Sad Sad.

The reason i brought this up, is i was hunting in western mn this weekend and say about 10 fields with the tile in the fields...... Machinery ready to dig.....

people are going to say the 2 acres will be a loss of too many crops and $$ for them. Well it seems they plowed under thousands of acres of Beats this year in order to not flood the market and are getting record yields off of their fields which has made prices somewhat shaky as well. Maybe in the long run it would help the market?????


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## ND_duckman (Feb 17, 2006)

Well said.


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## wolfmanjack (Sep 27, 2006)

i am friom about 10 minutes west of aitkin...i never really heard of this but i am glad somebody posted it on here. selfish moron. he deserved it


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## MNgoosekiller (Aug 21, 2006)

well said dunk! very true!


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