Retired biologist Dennis Chase put the town of Tyrone on an environmental warning last week.

“You should be setting an example instead of just trying to get by,” he told the Town Council during its meeting Jan. 5.

Chase took exception to the town filling in what he terms wetlands at Handley Park. In response to Chase’s comments, town manager Barry Amos had earlier supplied an inspection report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dated May 21, 2002. The report was filed after the Corps received a tip about filling in wetlands at Handley Park.

“If any wetlands existed here, they were very small ones. No enforcement action needs to be pursued at present,” concluded project manager Alan Miller in the report.

But Chase said that report was not totally correct.

“It’s like when a police office stops you, but only gives a warning instead of a citation. He’s not saying that you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

Chase said he planned to make regular inspections of environmentally-sensitive areas in Tyrone. If any violations are found, he vowed to report them to the state.

“We can’t trust that the town manager will do the right thing.”

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