PELICAN RAPIDS, Minn. (KFGO/KVRR) — Joseph Clauson wants to use land that his family has owned for more than 100 years on Grove Lake in Otter Tail County and turn it into a 26-unit commercial campground. The problem is that a group of landowners next to the proposed campground don’t want people to disturb the land.
“We’ve been to the meetings, we’ve been opposing it because of environmental issues. We’ve got bald eagles out here. We actually have two bald eagle nests right along the shoreline,” said landowner Franc Lerch.
According to The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, in Minnesota you can build within 330 feet of a nest outside of breeding season.
Another major concern with residents is the possibility of Zebra mussels causing a disruption to the ecosystem.
“We have no infestation of invasive species out here at all. And why we don’t have that, because we control it, we know who comes in and off our properties,” said Lerch.
Lerch has lived in his home for eight years, but has been in the area for over twenty. He says that the neighbors all watch out for each other.
“So it’s all peaceful and quiet. We’re neighborly. We have bonfires, we cook out together,” said Lerch.
One of the landowners who owns A-P Concrete in Moorhead hired a lawyer to represent the group. If the project is approved, the group will explore the possibility of taking legal action.
“Where all of us go as one we go all. And we’re going to fight this,” said Lerch.
The Otter Tail County Commission will meet to discuss the proposal Tuesday morning.
Landowners have also created a website to inform the public about their cause and how it affects them.
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