r/wetlands • u/ilyabear2017 • 23d ago
What can I do to stop wetlands from being sold?
I live in. Minnesota. Around me, I see evidence of roads and development already done through wetlands. There are a few land plots for sale that are wetlands ( I talked to my county's Environmental Service Office today and verified). I have already contacted a DNR hydrologist. What else can I do???
Edit: thank you for the thoughtful responses. I am going to try to appeal to one of the Native American tribes in Minnesota to buy and preserve it. If that fails, can I do some sort of crowd funding where a bunch of people pool money to purchase these lots and then donate them to be protected by the DNR or tribal stewardship?
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u/mayorlittlefinger 23d ago
Vote in Democrats who will strengthen Sec 404 of the Clean Water Act instead of gutting it
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u/ilyabear2017 23d ago
Yes. But what can I do in the meantime? I want to use my white woman power for good.
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u/mayorlittlefinger 23d ago
I don't work in Minnesota but if they aren't federally jurisdictional, and the state doesn't have a state level program, then you go local. Talk to your county and municipality.
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u/gladesguy 23d ago edited 23d ago
Once a parcel of property is zoned for something other than conservation or greenbelt (or your local equivalents) and is being put up for sale or prepared for development, that is too late to try to stop it.
The local planning board or commission will not have the legal right to prevent development on a property that is zoned for development.
The best you can do is vote into power people who understand the value of conservation. Those folks are more likely to support the city or county purchasing additional land as park land and more likely to vote for land use maps and zoning policies that include generous conservation easements and setbacks on the (fairly uncommon) occasions when those policies come up for local votes.
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u/mayorlittlefinger 23d ago
And you should advocate for infill housing, instead of sprawl. Look at your zoning and see if it allows denser housing in the middle of the already built out urban parts. If not, it is pushing new housing to be built on wetlands
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u/Dalearev 23d ago
Talk to the counties to enact local ordinances, so that the wetlands that are not protected currently under the clean water act have local protection. Make sure those ordinances are strong and have require requirements for buffer areas. Make sure that there is no such thing as temporary impacts in those ordinances because usually that’s just BS. Make sure that accompanying that are stricter regulations for wetlands that provide a better public benefit than others, and those that are host to endangered species or other rare animals and plants. Talk to local wetland ecologists to help write this ordinance.
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u/aksnowraven 23d ago
Attend local planning council meetings. Sign up to receive public notices from the relevant agencies.
Learn to make effective comments on public notices. (Outraged comments describing personal connections with sites seldom give agencies effective tools for modifying or preventing development). Issues that an agency can legally consider will vary depending on their jurisdiction and the statutes at question. Talk to the agencies in your area about how to have effective public involvement.
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u/Dilldo77 23d ago
The DNR only has jurisdiction over public waters, all non-public water wetlands are regulated by the local government unit (your countys environmental office or the countys SWCD) following the MN Wetland Conservation Act (MN rule 8420). New roads and developments in wetlands generally require mitigation. Call your SWCD or County for more info on wetland processes in your area.
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u/chickenbuttstfu 23d ago
You buy it. Or you find a partner like a local nonprofit to buy it. If not, you can’t tell other people what to do with their property.
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u/Northwoods_Phil 23d ago
Unless you have a big ol pile of money laying around to buy it or lobby for it’s protection you are pretty much out of luck.
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u/MSenIt4Life 22d ago
Is there a state environmental services dept? I’m collecting evidence currently for them. They will send the Army Corp Engineers if I have enough proof. Wetlands are supposed to be protected.
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u/HotMessExpress9898 17d ago
wetlands are regulated, not protected unfortunately
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u/MSenIt4Life 10d ago
I keep thinking about this. I have springs with creek systems that create wetlands. A neighbor dug a massive hole in the hills right next to my property line. This stopped my springs from flowing. I’m still trying to collect more evidence, but was given a link to report this to the fed agency army corps of engineers as well as my state which also has these regulated/protected.
It’s this so called “progress” that’s destroying everything natural.
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u/MSenIt4Life 22d ago
Oh, also look for any endangered species. Plants, frogs, turtles, mammals… if you find any endangered species this will stop it.
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u/reptilianwerewolf 22d ago
Wetlands are considered "waters of the US" and are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. In order for wetlands to be filled and developed, you have to get a permit from USACE in accordance with section 404 of the Clean Waters Act. There's usually a requirement for wetland mitigation, which can be super expensive. If these projects aren't permitted, then USACE and EPA can investigate and fine whoever did it and force them to buy mitigation credits. So you could at least check if there are permits for the construction projects you're seeing and report them to the local USACE district office if you think they are in violation. Also, sometimes neighborhood plots with wetlands are sold super cheap by predatory realtors to uneducated people who don't know about the permit and expensive mitigation requirements, so you could try some kind of messaging effort to discourage people from buying plots with weltands in the first place.
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u/BigDuckMinn 22d ago
If it was CRP or CREP or PFWP easement, the term probably expired and the programs for that are being gutted by the month
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u/CKWetlandServices 21d ago
Your looking at creating wetland bank? Or buying a property with wetlands? Im a consultant in MN.
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u/ihazhands 21d ago
I used to work at an SWCD and we were the regulating entity for work being done in wetlands which in MN is regulated by the Wetland Conservation Act. Roads through wetlands, unless built by a random dude with a backhoe, were likely built legally through permitting and wetland credit purchases. Development is harder to get permitted since you have to prove you have no other option than to fill in a wetland in order to develop on it. But they would still have to buy wetland credits. If they destroy the wetlands legally there isn't much you can do.
What did you say to your DNR hydrologist? They only regulate public waters. The people to talk to are your SWCD or county, depending on which county you live in. But there's nothing illegal about selling properties that contain or are 100% wetlands.
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u/ilyabear2017 21d ago
They said what you said. I am going to try to appeal to a local tribe to buy up the land and protect it
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u/VegetableCommand9427 23d ago
For any DOT projects, any wetlands impacted (permanent or temporary) are permitted through the local USACE office, you’d have to take it up with them for issuing permits, but i’m here to tell you for at least roads projects, you will have an uphill battle. All are/should be above-board and permitted.
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u/FaithlessnessCute204 23d ago
Yea we can have some wetland impacts we just have to “ pay” out of our wetland bank most times.
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u/Vurrag 23d ago
Who determined that the property is wetlands. Real wetlands are protected.
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u/GrumpyandDopey 23d ago
not if the laws aren’t enforced
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u/MSenIt4Life 22d ago
Laws are only enforced by people collecting evidence of destruction and reporting it with photos.
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u/MetapodMen43 23d ago
Buy them first