Help! Who is the best person to contact if...?

Question

what was once a wooded lot near my house is suddenly being destroyed and torn apart? Once the lot was bought, there wasn't really a whole lot we could do but watch the trees get cut down and a house get built. Now, however, I think about the creek below the lot (it's on a hill) and how much sand that might be getting since there aren't any trees anymore. Also, since they were done building the house, we thought they'd be done with everything else (like cutting trees), but they now appear to be trying to cut down every tree they can find, right up to our fence.

I've looked on the EPA's website, and their info is mostly on chemical spills, illegal emissions, etc. Who would be the best person and/or agency to MAKE IT STOP, or at least try and get some restricting measures put in place. Might congressmen actually go out of their ways to help? I am not very well-versed in laws governing this sort of activity, so I assume it's probably all very legal, but I want to TRY.

Answer 1

It sounds like the people own the property and they can probably do whatever they want.  I'm sorry, I don't think there is anything you can do but maybe someone else has an idea!

Answer 2

If the owner wants to cut HIS trees down, he has every right to do so. Whoever built your house probably cut some trees down as well. The only thing you could probably do is to contact your local city or county planning departments and see if they have any info about regulating the way land flows into a body water. Other than that, you're probably just going to have to deal with it.

Answer 3

Your local township or city government could help.  Give them a call.

Answer 4

good luck! write to your congressman! if you are that concerned but i doubt it if it will help! these prperty developers have no morals at all and only care about big business!

Answer 5

You are reaching too high. Start with your town building inspector.

Answer 6

Legally, there probably isn't anything you can do unless you can prove that they're putting toxins into the watershed or something like that.  

See if there's an environmentalist group in your area who can help you find ways of explaining to the neighbors how much their actions are devaluing their property - some people don't care about the environment until it hits their pocketbook.  An environmental group would also be able to point  you towards ways to help educate landowners and politicians about the value of woodlands and streams, which is the first step in changing the laws and the attitudes to make the kind of destruction you're talking about unacceptable.  And if there isn't a group like that in your area, contact the nearest one and see if they can help you set one up!

Answer 7

near to where I live there is a park called Chicano Park. they were going to demolish it but the people from the neighborhood all went inside and around the park, saying that it was an important part of their neighborhood, and construction stopped. Maybe you could do that with your neighborhood.

Answer 8

Check your local laws. I would say at this point there's nothing you can do. Uusally when people want to build things or change the neighbourhood in some way, they have to apply for a building permit which usually means placing a notice for objections in the local paper. It seems to me that time is already come and past, so I don't think there's anything you can do at this point.