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This is an aerial photo, taken in 1982, before any development took place at the 200-acre Pine River Site. The photo clearly shows that the site borders the Pine River, a 50-foot wide body of water that state wetlands officials characterize as large for that area of Michigaan
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This is an undisturbed spot on the Pine River site, with characteristic wetlands vegetation.
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This is one of the large drains that Rapanos had dug on the property to drain the wetlands and prepare the site for development. These massive drains were as deep as 7 feet, and as wide as 15 feet across.
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This photo shows the transformation of the property, as a bulldozer pushes sand over the Pine River site's wetlands.
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This is a photo of the site in 1998. The pattern of roads, including cul de sacs, suggests that Rapanos intended to use this site for a housing development. One of the Rapanos companies that owned the property was in fact called Pine River Bluff Estates. A careful look at the upper left-hand portion of the photo shows a thin, dark line that looks like a backwards “L”. That is one of the ditches that Rapanos dug to drain the wetlands. Rapanos destroyed 15 of the 49 acres of wetlands on the Pine River site.
(Note: These images have a high resolution. Clicking on the thumbnail will increase clarity.) |
