This homeowner prevented their neighbor from destroying a protected habitat.
A Michigan homeowner was concerned about the destruction of wetlands on their neighbor's property, and asked r/homestead for how to proceed.
"My neighbor has a large property behind my property," the Redditor described. "There is a roughly 30 acre wetland at the back of his property that borders a large river. … Last Saturday he had his employees down there with a backhoe and a tractor to dig a ditch from the wetland to the river and install a large (36-inch diameter is my guess) drainage pipe. ... I am concerned about the wetlands first and foremost, there are a ton of beaver, sandhill cranes, migratory geese and ducks, frogs, turtles etc."
While homeowners typically have the right to do what they please with their property, some species, habitats, and ecosystems are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Violators of the ESA are subject to fines and jail time.
Habitat loss is one of the main causes of rising extinction rates. Deforestation is a massive issue — according to the World Wildlife Fund, "Half of the world's original forests have disappeared, and they are still being removed at a rate 10 times higher than any possible level of regrowth."
Coastal and marine degradation is another issue that threatens thousands of species. If our habits don't change, in the next 50 years, plastic will outnumber fish, waters will warm, and ocean acidification could kill a majority of marine life.
Destroying the wetlands on their property would displace animals, reduce biodiversity, and destroy a valuable ecosystem.
To prevent this from happening, the Redditor tipped off Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and a worker arrived to inspect the neighbor's property. The neighbors didn't seem so happy about this, as the Redditor reported seeing "the neighbors employees [truck] go cruising by really slow rubbernecking out of the window at me."
Commenters encouraged the homeowner to contact environmental agencies.
"MI EGLE will eat this up," one user wrote. "They just wrecked a dude in my town who tried to mess with wetlands to expand his business."
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Definitely 🙁 "Call Michigan Fish and Wildlife," another commenter suggested. "They're VERY serious about stuff like this."
"This guy [is] screwed. Make the call, but keep it anonymous," a third Redditor said.
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