USA Today news might answer some of your questions...

September 4, I get another one-line from Mr. Scanlan, "Maybe this might answer some of your questions.  We would still like permission to survey" he writes.

It's hopeless! Now USA Today is supposed to be answering my questions? This was an internal email Doyle Land sent to some 20 people and Mr. Scanlan forwarded to me, with all emails exposed. Netiquette dictates, for the sake of privacy and confidentiality, that emails should be deleted. 

"We would still like permission to survey", Mr. Scanlan asks again. I am sure my English is not THAT bad that "NO SURVEYS" can be mistaken for anything else but"NO SURVEYS."

I give up. Time to contact Dominion directly.

Bonita, this ain't pretty!

My hope for a reply, following Mr. Scanlan's contacting his bosses, don't get me far. I was expecting some answers to my questions, and all I get is a letter of introduction to Mr. Scanlan, from Mr. Bonita Rockwell.

"I am writing to advise you that Jack Scanlan is a Right of Way Agent working for  Doyle Land Services, Inc. on the Southeast Reliability Project. Dominion Transmission, Inc. has employed Doyle Land Services, Inc. to work on this project.

If you have any questions regarding the Southeast Reliability project, please feel free to contact our Right of Way Agent, Jack Scanlan at (email address) or by phone at (phone number).

Sincerely,

(Signed)"

That's it? None of my questions is answered, none of my concerns is addressed. We are back at the bottom of the pit and there's not much hope I am going to get anything from these people I conclude. Mr. Scanlan has already shown that he is not going to reply to my emails with more than one-liners.

I reply to Ms. Rockwell's email,

"Dear Bonita Rockwell,

Thank you for your letter.

I regret to inform you, however, that your letter answers none of the questions I asked Mr. Scanlan in previous correspondence and provides no clarification to any of the issues I raised. I am sure Mr. Scanlan has forwarded all my correspondence to Doyle [L]and at some point, and thus find this odd, given the fact that we have exchanged a number of emails, for over a month already, and my emails clearly stated the questions I have.

Since both Mr. Scanlan [and] Doyle [L]and seem unable, or unwilling, I cannot tell which at this point, to answer my questions, provide the information I request, and address my concerns as a land owner, something that Dominion Resources says is a top priority for their company, I hereby notify you that from this day on I will seek to contact Dominion Resources directly and exclusively in order to obtain the answers and feedback I seek and the clarification [I] need on matters regarding the SE Pipeline project.

At this time, I nevertheless clearly reiterate my position, as have done several times in my correspondence with Mr. Scanlan:

I have not and will not grant Mr. Scanlan, Doyle [L]and, Dominion, or any of its employees, agents, etc., permission to access my property until my questions a[r]e answered to my satisfaction. No permission having been granted, any and all access to my property will be considered illegal trespassing and will be dealt with accordingly.

Once I have received the answers and clarification I asked for, and when I have enough information in my possession to adequately evaluate the request addressed to me, to access my property for the purpose of a survey, I will consider said request, and communicate my decision to Dominion Resources. I am sure Dominion Resources will convey that decision to you, in due time.

Sincerely,

(Signed)."

It's time to move along.

Autism?

A month goes by. My last email to Mr. Scanlan deserved no reply. Since I never leave an email unanswered, I wonder if it was delivered. I usually tell people who I correspond to, "If you don't get an email reply from me within 24 hours, at most 48 if close to a weekend, please resend your email, because I probably did not receive it."

During the last month I keep researching, and looking on the internet for more information about pipelines, this pipeline in particular, pipeline accidents, eminent domain use (and abuse, because these days, I find out, it's mostly abuse) and I wait for a reply, for a further contact from Mr. Scanlan, maybe a contact from Dominion. After all, they are behind this mess. I start referring to the pipeline  project as "this mess." First impressions count. This thing, thanks to Mr. Scanlan, started off twisted and it's getting worse. I did find out however that the project has a name: SE Pipeline.

I decide it's time to touch base with Mr. Scanlan, and ask, "What's up? No reply to my correspondence?"

"Mr. Scanlan,

Having received no reply to my last email, below, dated July 29, I am contacting you one more time, and it will be the last; I will wait for your reply until the end of business day coming Monday August 25. If I do not hear from you by then, I will start contacting Dominion directly.

I reiterate what I stated in previous correspondence:

Any and all communication with me in regards to the issue of surveying my property at the end of Channel Rd., in Mill Creek, Randolph County, WV, for the purposes of a viability study for the SE Pipeline project, must be made by dully identifiable individual(s), using proper company email(s) address(es), not public accounts / services such as Hotmail, GMAIL, Yahoo, etc. Other than that, a formal letter of introduction by Dominion, whom you say you represent, should be made available, as I have no way of identifying any person or persons and their claims of representation, and I have clearly stated that safety is a priority as far as I am concerned in these days of internet communication. 

Please kindly take note that email (faster) and "snail mail" (slower) are my only accepted forms of communication; phone communication, as explained in previous correspondence, is unfortunately not an option.

In relation to your request(s) I emphasize that NO PERMISSION has been granted or will be granted for any surveyors to enter my property until my questions have been answered and I am satisfied with clarifications and documents received; the information made available to me up to this point is considered grossly insufficient. Any and all access to my property will be considered trespassing, under relevant WV laws, until due permission is granted, in writing and signed by myself as property owner.

If I do not hear from you as per the deadline above, I will (...) contact Dominion directly to obtain the information I seek and the clarifications I need in order to proceed and then decide to grant, or not, access to my property, for the purpose of said survey.

Although I want to believe that you read all previous correspondence in full, I have no way of asserting it, because I have received no reply to questions I asked. I thus kindly suggest that you please refer to previously exchanged correspondence for the questions I asked, and more details as to what my position is in regards to this matter, and information I seek.

Sincerely,

(Signed)"

The same day, Mr. Scanlan emails back, ""You were correct Bell Timberling still owns a piece of property in the area. Sorry for any inconvenience. You should be recieving a letter from the Dominion about survey on your property. Have you given anymore thought of letting us do our survey?"

Patience has limits. I send him a one liner reply, "You ask 'Have you given anymore thought of letting us do our survey?' Did you even read my email? Please read it."

I was probably wrong. Maybe there is some mild autism hindering communication. On a second thought, I think it might be a serious case of "haughtyism" instead.

Another email comes in, "I have sent your request to my boss I should have a reply by the end of next week."

OK! Take a deep breath. Be patient. Patience rewards those who exercise it. It's an old virtue.

Round 5? 6?

Another day. Another inane one-liner from Mr. Scanlan. You can't make this stuff up. You have to just cut & paste: "Here are the letters for your property I know you know who Mike Ross is give him a call to see if I am who I say I am. We would still like to access you property for survey."

I am starting to lose hope. Either Mr. Scanlan believes he can push people and bully them into submission, to obtain what he wants, or some form of autism impairs his capacity to communicate and understand what other people say. I decide autism is not the issue. I would be more sympathetic if that was the case. As is, I just believe I am dealing with someone who is probably used to push people around and shove them out of the way. Pity! And this is someone who represents a company? Bad choice. Who hires these people, anyway?

First of all, I do not know Mr. Ross. I have heard his name, but that is all, and I am under no obligation to contact anyone. The burden is on you, Mr, Scanlan, to make proof that you are who you say you are and represent who you say you represent. The burden is also on you, or the companies involved in this matter, to contact landowners in a manner that is courteous, professional, thorough and, I dare say, sensitive and respectful.  

The letters attached to Mr. Scanlan's email are incomplete. There are two letters, but only the first page for each letter is attached. The letterhead is Dominion's. Am I supposed to guess what's on the missing pages? One of the letters isn't even addressed to me, it is addressed to Bell Timbering. Netiquette requires that any correspondence received that is not addressed to me be immediately deleted and that the sender be notified of the error. I do so. 

I exchange a few more emails with Mr. Scanlan. We sends me a scan of his business card, and asks for an address to send a letter. I wonder, "Is he joking?" I can sit at my computer and create a dozen of business cards in less than an hour, with my name on it, "showing" that I am Microsoft's CEO, or that I am a law professor at Harvard, or anything I like. This is the 21st Century. Computers can do anything basically, and 500 business cards cost less then ten bucks online!

I am starting to get tired of this gentleman's lack of professionalism. Patience is a virtue, however, so I email again:

"Mr. Scanlan,

Thank you for your email.

1. It seems to me that the letter addressed to me is incomplete; only the first page was converted to PDF and the second/any other pages are missing. Also, only one letter is addressed to me, the other,

2. Was addressed to Bell Timbering and was promptly deleted (I stopped reading it as soon as I read the heading, and I am notifying you of the mistake.) I assume it was addressed to me in error, as I do not represent Bell Timbering. If you need to contact Bell Timbering, I suggest you do so directly.

3. My name is Joao not Jao, as any records will show.

4. Please refer to my longer email as to my position on this matter, details of documents and information I require access to, so I may be able to consider the request that is being addressed to me.

I allow myself to call your attention to the fact that I required that any and all contacts that you or anyone else may desire be considered official to be made through company/official means (including email addresses) ---- that will allow me to identify and confirm that any such contacts are genuine.

You write, "I know you know who Mike Ross is give him a call to see if I am who I say I am;" I have heard the name, but I did not have the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. Ross, and thus will not contact him. In fact, I would not contact him even if I knew him personally, unless he was a close friend. The burden is on you to make proof that you are who you say you are, and to make sure you do so as I requested if, again, you want any communication to be considered official. Allow me to emphasize: private, personal email addresses are not acceptable to me, because personal email addresses are not official and I will not consider any such communication as anything but informal at best, given the high risk of fraud and deception on the internet these days.

I am sure you can appreciate my concerns; they are genuine and justified.

In closing, you also write, "We would still like to access you property for survey[,]" to which I reply that I still maintain my position that no permission is granted for anyone to enter my property until I so declare in writing and sign my name to it. Also, if that is to happen, it will be only after we have also a binding agreement and clear terms set that will extend such permission to whoever may need to have access to my land as per Dominion's desire to execute said survey; I have requested information ---- again, refer to my email ---- which must be made available to me, as a sine qua non condition for me to just consider the request for anyone to set foot on my property.

I reiterate: if no such permission has been granted in writing, if no agreement has been signed, I will consider it as trespassing and will deal with it accordingly.

Sincerely,

(Signed)"

Another one-liner, "Tembrline [sic] you bought this property according to the previous owner." Huh? I guess that's supposed to mean, "According to Bell Timbering, the previous owner, you bought this property from them." I used to play "cops and thieves" when I was a kid, and "spies" and we used lots of cryptography. Good thing. It's helping me get through these emails... It would be easier though if they were just properly written and denoted some respect and serious commitment to the task at hand.

A new character is introduced into the storyline. The plot thickens. This email was sent Cc to a certain "Bonita Rockwell" and her email ends in "@doyleland.com." Is there hope?

What's this? Round 5? Or is it round 6? I am starting to lose count. Back to my corner. Take a deep breath. Gurgle. Spit. The water is starting to have a bitter taste.

NO surveys means NO surveys!

Take a deep breath! Sit back, think it over, and take a deep breath.

...

I decide it's time to get the silk gloves off and just get down to business. No more one-liners. Let's spell this out clearly and leaving no margin for doubt. I though I was being clear. No means no. No surveys, no pipelines. I did spell it out, "look for alternative routes." Apparently the message did not get across --- improbable. Or Mr. Scanlan just decided to ignore it, and resort to bulling and threats ---- yes, that's what it feels like.  So, I write Mr. Scanlan a longer letter.

"Dear Jack Scanlan,

Let me repeat what I said on my previous email: at this point, no permission is granted to anyone to access my property for any reason until I am comfortable with granting any such permission.

I am still waiting for the official letter you said would be sent to me and so far was not. I have seen no such letter.

You say you represent a certain company. I have seen no document showing proof that you represent any company (you are using a personal hotmail, thus private, email address, not a company email address that can be verified.)

I have seen no credentials for yourself or said company or subsidiary company you say you work for.

I have seen no project explanation, what may or may not be included/involved/time frame/etc. You merely referred to a gas pipeline running for 600 miles connecting WV and NC --- and that was information you provided AFTER I asked for some details[;] details, let me emphasize, I consider insufficient, as this email explains in greater detail.

I have not been sent, by you or anyone else, any explanation as to what this is, represents, implications, etc.

In the past, I have been contacted by other people to access my property for various reasons, for surveys, studies, etc. There has always been a modus operandi being followed, that covers several aspects you have not covered, and I will not bother you with a list, as I am sure you must be aware of them.

Your communication so far has been informal and terse, at best, and you will have to allow me to treat it that way and no more.

Please understand: The internet is a very dangerous place these days and anyone can contact anyone claiming anything they want at all.

I am an accessible person, but I am also very cautious. Working for the government (...) for almost three decades has taught me protocol, and security, and (...) how things are supposed to be handled.

Should I go on? Until I have a clear picture regarding this matter, and until I get enough details, references, confirmation, an explanation as to what this may or may not imply and bring in the future, including any and all impact this may have on the land, etc., I will not grant anyone permission to access the property.

If, as you say, this is a genuine project, and 600 miles of pipeline are to be eventually installed from WV to NC, I am sure there is documentation and a preliminary project proposal, thus explanation that can be disclosed to third parties, namely land owners, so they can make informed decisions, etc., etc., etc.

I look forward to receiving enough evidence that this is such an endeavor, and also, to be contacted, by you or any one else, through an official email address, that can link you or anyone else to the company or companies you say you represent (is your name, position and bio on any website? Can I access confirmation of anything at all?)

What other land owners have you contacted / lands / properties so far? Have any other properties been surveyed in relation to this? Can you provide a list of names? Their property locations? Can you provide a map / schematics that show where the hypothetical pipeline will be installed? And how will the pipeline be installed, and when, and how long will the work take? And what are the intentions of the company or companies involved towards land owners?

As said, given my professional past work history and involvement with government entities I am very much aware of protocol and pay special attention to security and safety issues, and, as said, [I am] extremely careful about contacts made by any and all people whatever the means they use to contact me or their claims may be.

In closing, let me say that I do not appreciate the way you are trying to pressure me in regards to the time frame you advance for the survey. If this is, as said, a genuine project, it is, to credit you, merely a "feasibility study" at this point, and there are many surveys to be made; nothing is so urgent that must happen and take place with such short notice!

You may want to move ahead, but telling me that you would like to "survey across [my] property within the next 2 weeks," may fit your timetable, but not mine, and feels, allow me to be blunt, "pushy."

If (and let me emphasize, I write "if") this goes ahead and I decide to grant permission for such survey to take place, it will be at a time that is convenient to me, and I may also want to set dates when I can be present, or appoint someone to be present, to accompany anyone who may be granted access to execute said survey.

I am advising in regards to this matter as per your request, and has per the contents of this email.

For the time being, no permission is granted because I have not received enough information to make a decision on this matter.

Sincerely,

(Signed)"

I also mention as a post scriptum that after doing an extensive internet search, I find only four references to Mr. Scanlan, three on a genealogy website and one on a private forum. Nothing else. No links to Doyle Land, Dominion, or anything else.

At this point, I am still to receive any official letters regarding this matter.

The next day I receive another one-liner from Mr. Scanlan, "I sent the letter with the wv statute please let me know if you got it."

Someone is not listening or has very poor reading and comprehension skills!

First contact...

It was the end of July 2014 when I opened my email box and there was a terse, one line email from a gentleman called Jack Scanlan. He introduced himself as representing Dominion, "we are doing a feasibility study in the area. is there a number we can talk?" It was a very unprofessional email. It did not point back to a company website or server, it was from a Hotmail account. A name followed by four digits, "1234" ----- emails like this are usually used by people who roam the internet and are up to no good. I replied, as I usually do, without delay. "I am afraid not... I am out of the country right now and will not be back anytime soon," and on top of it, I have a hearing problem and hate phones. But I let him know we could communicate by email. Mr. Scanlan emailed back, "We are surveying in the area and would like to access your property some time next 2 week;" then two minutes later, he added, "there will be 4 survey crews that will walk across your property."

Bizarre I thought. Who is this guy? He sends me an email, saying that he represents a company that goes by the name of Dominion, and basically tells me nothing but that he wants to go on my property to survey it, and that four crews will be going across it. No explanation of why? What their need to be on the property is? What do you need to survey my property for? So, and because one-liner emails don't really deserve more than one-line replies, I shot him a quick reply, "Can you provide details on what you are doing, what's the survey for, why do you need to access / be on my property, if there will be any impact on the property, etc., etc., etc.?  " Then came his reply, "We are doing a feasibility study to determan [sic] if a pipeline could be installed in the future. All they are going to do is walk across your property to determine if this could be a viable route in the future."

Huh... excuse me? Say again? This guy needs to get down to earth. I need more information. I search the internet. There is no company called Dominion but provides no details at all. I start contacting people in Elkins and asking questions. Does anyone know anything about this company and this pipeline project? Apparently not. I find a company called Dominion Resources but no Jack Scanlan name is associated with it, not that I can find at least, and his hotmail.com email address certainly does not make him credible. The way he contacted me does not help either. But I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Some people like using their personal email addresses. Or maybe they are not at work and the company server is not accessible outside the company --- unlikely, but possible. I email back again, "I know what a feasibility study is and I know what the purpose of any feasibility study is. "If a pipeline could be installed," meaning what? Crossing my property?... You are not giving me much to work with" I wrote, and since I found a company called Dominion Resources Inc., I ask, "Is this the company you represent/work for?" And I start asking questions, asking for specifics: "What kind of work/pipeline are you talking about, that may be installed in the future as a result of this study? Where will the pipeline be running from ---- where to where? Are we speaking about natural gas here? Where would the pipeline be installed? I am assuming that you are in need of accessing my land (...) because the pipeline, if this goes ahead, may be crossing my land? Is this a new project? Is fracking involved? Etc. Please be more specific." I get another rushed reply, "If it can be built it would cross your property. Dominion pipeline is a sub division of Dominion Resources . I work for Doyle land services who represents Dominion. we are talking about a 42 in gas line that will travel aproxmatley [sic] 600 miles. The pipeline would run from west Virginia to North Carolina. As to were the pipeline would be placed I don't know that is why were are doing the survey. This would be a transportation line."

My next email states clearly what my position is. After thanking Mr. Scanlan for the extra details and that extra bit of information, I state, leaving no room for misunderstandings, that "I am not interested in having any pipelines cross my property, not now, and not in the future, so I don't think it makes much sense to include my land as part of the survey," and  add, "consequently, the feasibility study should look at alternative routes for any such pipeline." I leave the door open, however, to constructive dialogue; I write, "If there are any other details / considerations that you think may be relevant and are not being considered at this time, feel free to let me know."

This is certainly not part of my dream. This is my property and I don't want to see it ruined. At this point, I know very little about pipelines. Never had to give them much of a thought. I start doing some research on the internet. Search words, "pipeline," "Dominion Resources," "gas pipeline." Hits ain't showing me a pretty picture. There seem to be pipelines exploding all over, and regularly. I wouldn't know the difference between some of these pictures and a war zone. A bomb might do less damage. Some images mage me think of napalm. This ain't pretty, and it certainly does not fit my dream!

This is my land. This is West Virginia. Green, rugged, wild and, I believe, clean. Did I do my homework before buying this piece of land? The first acreage I bought towards the end of 2011. Then beginning of 2014, I added to it. Bell Timbering had some acreage contiguous to mine, and I added a few more acres to the original property. It's my land. It's private property and I don't want any pipelines going through it. I continue to search the internet. Does not look good. My land is not going to be gutted and scarred by pipelines.

I get another one-liner from Mr. Scanlan, "Dominion will be sending a letter out to yo [sic] explaining the survey. We still need to access the property for the study. If it can be built that would be the time to appose it."

Dominion can send whatever they want. I don't want pipelines on my property. I start asking myself, is this guy even reading my emails? "We still need to access the property for the study" he writes? "If it can be built that would be the time to oppose it," he writes? No, sir!, the time to oppose it is right now. Not later. Right now, this gets nipped in he bud. I am telling you clearly that I do not want any surveys, no studies and no pipelines. The time to oppose it is right now. When there is abuse and violation of private property rights, or even just a faint scent of smoke, that's the time to get your sleeves rolled up and start looking for the problem. Who waits for the house to be on fire before locating that faulty wiring and make sure the whole thing does not burst into flames?

I email again, repeating myself, "(...) you mentioned clearly that the survey has to do with the construction of a pipeline that will, if built, cross my land. Let me repeat, I am not interested in having any pipelines cross my land, so no permission is granted to access the property and I see no point in granting access to anyone for said purpose; since this is private property, and you contacted me to ask for permission to access the property, I do not understand what you mean by, 'We still need to access the property for the study' because I am making very clear that I want no pipelines there and if [the] viability study has the purpose of finding out if one will be built in which case you said also clearly that it would be across my property, which I do not agree to and will not allow. Please clarify."

What I am emailing this gentleman is falling on deaf ears, clearly, because he sends another one-liner, "We would like to survey across your property with in [sic] the next 2 weeks. Please advise ."

And the cherry on top of the cake, "Here is a copy of the letter sent out by Dominion concerning the feasibility study. I am also including the West Virginia Statute for surveyng [sic] property n the state. Please look it over and get back to me on surveying your property." No such letter is attached. This is definitely someone who does not care much about having a professional attitude. That, when dealing with a matter as sensitive as this, does not win him, Doyle Land or Dominion any medals. Not by my book at least. Attached, however, is a PDF with a scan of West Virginia Code 54.1.3. Entry on lands. It mentions "eminent domain."

Sir, you just crossed the line. Are you threatening me? Bad move!

New Beginnings

"Where do you live?" he asked. "Soon, I'll be living at the end of Mill Creek holler!" I said. "What?" came the reply. Yep, down the holler. It's a very old term meaning "down the road a spell" or, "down in the valley a ways," I am told.

"Step out 'n give a yell down the holler to your brother and sister and have 'em come in and wash. Supper's ready!..."  

... and so the story starts. That's Mill Creek Holler, yes, West Virginia, where the mountains are rugged, the water is clean and the air crisp. But for how long will this pristine little corner of heaven on earth remain that way? That's what we are trying to find out now that a shadow has been cast over these lands.

Will this story make history? A lot of people believe so. It's a story that belongs to all West Virginians. My story is not even a chapter in the book now being written. It may at best be a page, or a couple of paragraphs. I have barely started dreaming, and yet, the journey is already almost a decade old.

I have been asked many times, "Why did you pick West Virginia, for heavens sake, and of all places, God forsaken Mill Creek? Couldn't you pick a better place?" But as far as I am concerned, this is the "better place" and I found it, after years of searching and looking around. Seven years to be precise. Where did I look? Everywhere, really. From Washington State to Florida, from Texas to Maine, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia. I crossed the country. I searched high and low and in between. Then one day I found WV and fell in love with it. I like the Appalachians. I like Blue Grass the same way I like Mississippi Blues. And yes, I looked there too! But West Virgina has mountains. It is wild and rough and the land is still in many ways in pristine condition. I wanted a piece of land that had not been violated. I wanted trees. Plenty of trees. I wanted water and lots of it: a river, or a creek, and springs, ponds, or all of these if possible. I wanted a place with wildlife and not many people. And WV, Mill Creek, is where I found it all.

And then, West Virginia is a state with a motto that spoke to me: Montani Semper Liberi!  Mountaineers Are Always Free ---- that sounded like home to me. And didn't West Virginia Secede from Virginia? That's why the state is sometimes referred to as the "child of the rebellion." So, I thought, it took nerve, it took guts to become the 35th state of the Union. Rebellious people. I liked that. What about the stereotypes? West Virginians being called hicks and hillbillies? By definition, the words mean what? People that are not sophisticated and live in the backwoods. So what? I take that as a compliment. People only try to ridicule that which they fear. They try to put down what they can't reach or have. I am told that people from other states and even from sophisticated WDC drive all the way to West Virginia to enjoy what the mountains have to offer. Game, trout, a weekend away from the bustling city, a down-to-earth tranquility they can't find elsewhere. West Virginians have more than a handful of reasons to be proud of their state. West Virginia, Mill Creek, a God forsaken place? I don't think so!

So I decided to get my savings, get a loan, buy land and call West Virginia home. I'll move there, I thought, and when I die, I want to be buried there. Ever since I was a kid I thought you only truly belong in a place that cradles the bones of your ancestors. The land I found even has a cemetery on it that dates back to the mid 1800s. I'll be buried here. My kids and grand-kids will live here. We will have a family plot on this land and they will know they belong here.

These things take time. I was a teenager when I started thinking about getting my own land and homesteading. My mother had the same dream. I decided that I would see it happen. I would make it happen. This, I thought, will be my legacy to my children. If you own a piece of land in a place like West Virginia, you will never go hungry. If you have woods, you will never go cold. With springs bubbling out of the ground and a creek crossing your property, you will never go thirsty. All it takes is work. Ingenuity. A desire to make things happen.

Then, mid 2014, I was told about a pipeline that some big gas company wants to lay across my land. I said no. I said thank you, but no thank you. And that's really where the story begins, because before that, it's not a story that deserves to be told. It was just happening. You have a dream, you build it up. You make it happen. That's what most folks do. You don't tell people, "Hey, I am breathing." You just do. Well, that's the way it was. It was all just happening naturally. Focus, channel your energies. Will it, and work to make it a reality and it will become your vision. I was not going to tell a soul, other of course than family and close friends. I was just doing what needed to be done, so my dream could become a reality. I would leave my job and move to the woods and homestead, and develop my own little corner of heaven: Eden Springs. My very own little corner of Heaven on Earth.

But then the pipeline came and I felt my dream threatened. Where do we stand now? We stand firm and we continue to say, "NO! Thank you, but no thank you!" to the surveyors and to the pipeline. It's not part of the dream. It will ruin the land. It will rape it. It will gut it and ruin it.

I was first contacted by the pipeline people back in July 2014.