The Big Ditch:
Taken last year.
In it's glory.
In January, 2016.
Home to herons, ducks, and frogs... and... turtles.
August 28th.
This week, September 1.
Half of it was gone.
This morning, on my way to church.
I was horrified. I knew it was coming, but I was still horrified.
A neighbor pulled up as I was taking pictures... and we talked for a while.
I think the man I spoke with months ago alluded to the Corps of Engineers... but
was not working for them. A seed company owns the land there, and filled in the
big ditch, which was just that, a big runoff ditch.
The neighbor with whom I spoke is afraid now that everything is leveled, the water will run off
onto his side of the road. We both hoped the turtles got through the intake pipe, under the road, and to the opposite side where there is still a pool of water.
The neighbor is worried about the long-term implications.
My question is, if it was not Corps of Engineers, why were they building
the cross vanes in Stranger Creek?
There were two men running big earth movers... compare this picture to the one at the top.
The man running the bulldozer never acknowledged us.
I had to get to church, so said goodbye to the neighbor. He stood and watched the
bulldozer as I pulled away.
There is a berm of sorts along the road... but I, too, wonder what it will do to the
drainage.
I feel so badly for the animals and reptiles.
And the birds!
So sad. Doesn't seem like it was necessary to fill it in.
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy and Stanley
So sad. Doesn't seem like it was necessary to fill it in.
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy and Stanley
I know exactly how you feel; I felt the same way when the neighboring five acres of Douglas fir trees were leveled. :-(
ReplyDeleteIt would make me wonder too. All that water has to go someplace. We often laugh about dirt movers...we see them everywhere we go it seems. I'm thinking it is one job that is guaranteed. They move dirt from one place to another then another. Hope you are having a Happy Labor Day!
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see the ditch go. Why do humans sometimes think they know better than nature about how things should be?
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteBefore I even read your concerns I was thinking - but where's the water going??? All that loose earth will soak it to some extent - and no doubt 'bog' a bit. If the seed company has decided to use it for 'seeding' then maybe the under moisture would advantageous; but that looks suspiciously like levelling for building to me - and beware, any buyer of future housing sitting on that!!! Though, for that, there would have to be plans up for public scrutiny somewhere (at least they would have to be here or in Australia and I suppose the same with you?)... YAM xx
"Progress" strikes again! They apparently wanted to make money, not wildlife. The irony is that the Corp would have STOPPED you from filling it, had it been on YOUR land.
ReplyDeleteThat big ditch looked like a man made drainage area to me, and not anything that God created naturally. To change it back to the way it was is perfectly OK with me, as property rights should mean something to us. If you wanted it to remain the 'big ditch', you should have bought the property and then left it alone.
ReplyDeleteTo do otherwise would be none of your business.
If you were in Florida, the EPA, Corp and every other permitting agency would be all over you. Fineing you and hitting with cease and desist order. It's probably a borrow pit or strip in this case used for fill for the road at some point. Here in Florida even if it is a borrow pit it would now fall under the jurisdiction of permitting agencies.
ReplyDeleteNow granted Florida is a more fragile environment but even West Virginia I imagine EPA Etc would make a stink.
oh no,,, that is sad!
ReplyDeletelove
tweedles
poor critters. wonder why they had to fill it in..........
ReplyDelete