Thursday afternoon, June 9, we were accosted by two armed federal officials. I was on my property cutting firewood with my wife when I heard a vehicle in our driveway. I stepped out of the woods to investigate and found a U.S. Forest Service SUV rushing up to meet me. An officer in SWAT-like gear (full gun belt, aviator glasses and Kevlar vest) jumped from the vehicle and rattled off questions about who I was, where I lived, etc. As I stood there sweating in my work boots and coveralls, covered in sawdust, his armed partner moved in behind me (I guess I looked like a flight risk).
I learned that someone had made a complaint, accusing me of cutting firewood from public lands and selling it. I can only hope they embellished their complaint with a colorful description of a violent, desperate, chronic lawbreaker, given that the forest rangers came “heavy.”
I explained that I only cut wood on our property. We use the wood to heat our home and sell the excess to supplement our income. The few trees they may have seen cut at the side of the road were originally in the roadway. I removed them so that we and our neighbors could pass safely and so I can keep the road open in winter.
He then told me the complainant also objected to my snow removal and that it’s a violation to plow a forestry road. When I explained that I use a snow blower, not a plow, they backed off, agreeing that didn’t damage the road and was probably “okay.” After our 45-minute conversation (detainment?) the lead officer apologized and they drove off.
We’ve lived here for many years, caring for the land and paying high taxes for the “privilege.” Unfortunately, this experience has made us re-evaluate our options.
One person with a spurious complaint can not only ruin your day, but leave you feeling violated and powerless, doubting your rights and your basic freedoms. And that was just for cutting wood and blowing snow! Next time, it could be you.
Lonny Plenge
Grand Marais
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