Mother Nature In Charge: Devils Lake Life Stories

Devils Lake area residents' lives and homes have been torn apart by the expanding lake that has engulfed the basin since hard rains began in 1993. Mother Nature In Charge: Devils Lake Life Stories examines the plight of the area's frustrated residents including: horse farm owner Tammy Tollefson, whose only access in and out of her property is a duck boat; Dan Wester, a farmer who has already had to burn one farm to the ground and is trying to keep his operation above water, so to speak; Harriet Horner-Larson now living in Fordville, who has been forces to raze two houses because of raging waters and unlivable conditions; and miles away in Churches Ferry, mayor Pauld Christenson is nearly the last man standing as the tiny town is on the verge of de-consolidating.
Production funding has been provided by Ramsey National Bank & Trust Company, Bergstrom Cars, Nodak Electric Cooperative, Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board, and by the members of Prairie Public.

[@bumpboat]

Wow..... I moved from Devils Lake in 1993, hard to believe. Here's wishing all you remaining in the DL region good luck

[@melaniekeen3611]

Really we left in 92

[@bexxter48]

We lived there for over 20 years and it's really sad to see so much good farmland go to waste. It takes it's toll on all the area residents.

[@Ysbriel]

im currently in camp grafton, and its really sad to see the locals working very hard every day to avoid what seems to be unevitable

[@MrRreno1]

look to the north and south of devils lake and you will see all the drain tiles that go to devils lake..and all the sloughs that have been drain to it... first look at that.

[@MarilynNo1]

Green trees and those poor horses have blankets on? Yikes! Born and raised in ND, grew up with horses and we never put blankets on them.

[@desertdomaine1]

Good pioneer life.

[@flyinbry]

poor subsidized farmers... they need more government help to offset their hardships in "devils lake"

[@LelandRogers]

The problem I see is that a solution for one area creates a problem for another area. If you drain water from the lake it has to go somewhere else and cause a problem there.

[@commentor3485]

North Dakota has shafted that area. But we don't want to ruin down stream.

[@mrkerterable]

No. It Has not Affected the lake that much

[@commonsenseapproach101]

so why did the state and local county allow farms and business to build in and under the high water mark that was set it in the early 1900's?? You can clearly see by google earth the high water marks in the 1990's and how many farm were new there. Plus many farms in the upper basin started to drain tile and draining sloughs, that only makes it worse, so i hope they got a bill as well. If you look at google earth and under historical imagery, you can clearly see where people in the upper and western basin of devils lake started to do drain tiles and draining sloughs and all that water that once was held in that ground is now rushing right into devils lake either by the other lakes that lead to devils lake or by the tiles putting the water into the ground in the ditches and thus causing a higher than normal water table and thus the water goes to devils lake or maintains the level longer. People think drain tiles are the answer but in reality they are the problem.

[@atomicwedgie8176]

So, they could siphon off the relief money.