Throwback Thursday: Those Dam Beavers!

In 1997, a Pierson man was cited by the State of Michigan for building unauthorized dams on his property.

How he responded will live on in infamy.

Steven Tvedten was the man who received a stern warning from the State about placing the dams on a body of water on his property, which were flooding a neighbor's property. The dams were constructed not by Tvedten, but by a family of beavers.

The web site Letters of Note says Tveden was given six weeks to rectify the situation, which prompted him to reply to the State promptly, bluntly and with a sense of humor.

As to your dam request the beavers first must fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity, my first dam question to you is: are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers or do you require all dam beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request? If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, please send me completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits...
My first concern is — aren't the dam beavers entitled to dam legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said dam 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 dam flooding is proof we should leave the dam Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling their dam names. If you want the dam stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition — contact the dam beavers — but if you are going to arrest them (they obviously did not pay any dam attention to your dam letter — being unable to read English) — be sure you read them their dam Miranda first.

You can read the entire letter here.