In Tree clearing prompts order to restore for megachurch pastors, the Brainerd Dispatch's Chelsey Perkins tells a story of trees along the Mississippi River in Crow Wing County being destroyed by a blowdown, just as a retirement home was going up for "the Rev. James "Mac" Hammond and the Rev. Lynne Hammond, the husband and wife senior pastor team of Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park."
Or the trees were cut down to enhance a river view. Perkins reports:
Pontoon cruises along one of the wildest stretches of the Mississippi River are a pastime of Lawrence and Marian Severt.
Homeowners for 15 years on a lake connected to the river—Rice—the couple makes a habit of meandering to the northeast against the gentle current of the iconic waterway. They've come to know the arrival and departure times of migrating birds, the wild rice beds preferred by harvesters and the best spots to view bald eagle families in their nests.
"It's like almost going into another century, because things are so wild from here north," Lawrence Severt said.
On one of these trips last summer, the Severts said they were shocked to see a swath of mature trees cleared along the banks, revealing a home under construction at the pinnacle of a steep bluff. The cleared area stood in stark contrast to the landscape surrounding it.
"It was clear-cut," said Lawrence Severt. "On either side, it wasn't touched."
Lawrence Severt, a supervisor for Oak Lawn Township, said one of the first things he did was call Crow Wing County Land Services. He wanted to know how such a dramatic change to an otherwise heavily wooded landscape was permitted.
"The damage was done when we saw it," Severt said. "They denuded it to the point that if a heavy rain had come, that whole bank would have washed into the river."
The property that so concerned the Severts is owned by the Rev. James "Mac" Hammond and the Rev. Lynne Hammond, the husband and wife senior pastor team of Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park. The nondenominational megachurch espouses what's referred to as "prosperity gospel." Mac Hammond is the host of "Winner's Minute," broadcast on WCCO and Fox News, and "Winner's Way," a half-hour show on the Believer's Voice of Victory Network on DISH Network.
The 10 acres of land owned by the Hammonds are in the midst of hundreds of acres held by the church, including an island to the north of the home. The property is east of County Highway 3 and Tamarack Lake Road North.
Chris Pence, Crow Wing County division manager for environmental services, said he and another staff member visited the site late last summer in response to complaints concerning the tree clearing. After walking the property, Pence said they found an area stretching 320 feet wide and 210 feet up the bluff where the trees were removed. He said they determined it met criteria for an enforcement case and would be subject to a restoration order. Pence said the property owners quickly agreed to comply with the order.
Was it a blowdown or carving out a river view? Decide for yourself. Read the whole story. Minnesota political junkies may remember when Mac Hammond joined Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign in 2011.
Photo: The Hammonds. Bluestem thinks that we will never see a preacher as lovely as a tree.
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Posted by: Elizabeth Baker-Knuttila | Jun 11, 2017 at 11:20 PM