Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that the Ingham County Circuit Court has granted summary disposition in favor of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in a lawsuit initiated in October 2022. The lawsuit concerned the illegal destruction of a multi-acre regulated wetland in Sanilac County. An opinion entered on July 26 by Judge Wanda M. Stokes holds Weaverland Farms and the family operating it responsible for restoring 69 acres of wetland and paying $10,000 in fines.
“Wetlands are crucial for preserving our water quality and supporting wildlife,” Nessel said. “My department will continue to protect these vital and valuable ecosystems. I commend the tireless work of our partners at EGLE and attorneys in my department for securing the restoration of this important wetland in Sanilac County that will benefit both the community and the environment.”
Members of the family owning Weaverland Farms, a Michigan-based dairy operation, illegally cleared 69 acres of forested wetlands to plant crops used to feed their dairy cattle. They also used the cleared area to spread manure from their dairy. The wetland destruction came to light during an EGLE investigation into a separate violation of the farm’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permit.
EGLE discovered that the farm had doubled the size of a field used to dispose of manure, encroaching on the wetland. A subsequent site visit confirmed that the defendants had changed the landscape of the wetland and converted it into a cornfield. Nessel filed the lawsuit against Weaverland Farms and individual family members who cleared and farmed the wetland for violating Part 303 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA).