I agree there are shady and plain stoopid people and they tend to gravitate to alphabet agencies and other seemingly unaccountable organisations. Or they just go rouge in a private capacity like some of the contractors here chasing swamp Kauri.Wet lands are a pretty big thing around here too. I can agree up to a point, but some of the things that are being done in the name of wetlands just blows my mind. they built a new road next to me, took part of my property to build it. There is a 900ft long box covert where there was supposed to be a bridge. I guess it was cheaper to buy property to mitagate the wetlands destroyed than it was to just build the bridge. They bought a small farm not far from me and dug and trenched the fields turning them into a swamp. Nothing there now but skeeters and brairs. Not sure I agree with the mitigation provided for the land they destroyed to build the road.
Power company built a new substation in the middle of a field next to the river. When they finished they turned the area around it into a swamp. They put their drain pipes under the driveway up so high the water cant drain out. It is now a wetland.
Soil and Water came out with a program where they would drill wells and put in holding tanks for watering livestock. All the landowner had to do was sign up and allow them to fence their field off the creeks. Lots of farmers signed up and thought they where getting a good deal, until one of the farmers wanted to put a driveway across his creek so he could get to his pastures on the other side of the creek. He didnt realize he had signed his rights away to any land that laid between the creek fences that Soil and Water had put up.
Lots of shady dealing going on when it comes to wetlands and water rights.