Opinion ID: 2081618
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Wien owns waterfront property on Joseph's Creek near Rehoboth Beach. In 1988, portions of Wien's land were designated as wetlands. [2] Wien was aware of this designation and was furnished a map indicating those portions of his land that qualified as wetlands. After portions of his land were eroded by storms in 1998 and 1999, Wien began erecting an erosion barrier in a U shape around a channel that penetrated his wetlands. Wien constructed the barrier using 40-pound bags of concrete mixed with sand. The sand and concrete bags were dry when they were stacked, but after the bags were exposed to the rain, the concrete hardened. By the time the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) issued a cease and desist order, the barrier consisted of about 1700 bags of concrete and was approximately 406 feet long. In April 2003, William Moyer, a DNREC official, received a complaint about activity on Wien's wetlands. [3] Before he went to observe Wien's property, Moyer verified that Wien did not have any permit for wetlands activity. From the road outside Wien's property, Moyer observed several pallets stacked with concrete bags. Moyer was familiar with Wien's land, and from his roadside vantage point, he was able to conclude that the bags were placed in a wetlands or a subaqueous land area. [4] Moyer also observed tire tracks leading farther into the wetlands area of Wien's property. Based on these observations, Moyer concluded that Wien was violating Delaware's wetlands law. Moyer then entered the property, where he found the barrier Wien had constructed around the channel. Wien admitted to Moyer that he had put dirt fill across the wetlands so that trucks could deliver more concrete bags. Wien was charged with three counts of conducting activity on wetlands without obtaining a permit. Following a trial, he was convicted of all three counts. Wien appeals from that conviction.