Bamboo Ban?

[The Straight Story]

Bamboo Ban?

Smithtown, NY (SmithtownRadio.com) – The Town of Smithtown is considering its options when it comes to a local bamboo invasion.

Smithtown Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio has asked the Town Council to considering banning the plant after a neighborly feud grabbed headlines.

Keith and Ann Marie Alletto, of Oak Drive, have been battling their neighbors allegedly invasive plants since they bought the house in 2004.

The Allettos took their neighbor, Robert Baldwin, to civil court last year. They hoped to get thousands of dollars in restitution for the damage the plants had caused to their property, according to a report from the Times Beacon Record. Mr. Alletto told the newspaper the plant’s roots had made their way into their home’s cess pool and caused the plumbing to backup. While in court, the Allettos also hoped to get an injunction to stop the harvesting of the plant.

http://www.smithtownradio.com/2011/02/10/2219/bamboo-ban/

[Doremus]

1. Sounds like our infestation with Japanese knotweed.

It started on the fence line between the neighbor's house and ours. It grows faster than we can dig it out. Horrible pest.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. Invasive species are a huge problem here. They are

changing entire ecosystems and many fragile areas will never be the same.

Many types of bamboo are really invasive, and I can't blame the neighbors for trying to do something about it. If you have that much damage due to an invasive plant that your neighbor planted, you deserve to be made whole again.

[jody]

3. Declare amnesty for all invasive plants & grant them full citizenship like native born plants. n/t

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. There's a lot of plants that should be banned. But profits first. Always profits first.

Eff the environment. Just as long as it's profitable.

[LLStarks]

5. The stupidity of my fellow Long Islanders is limitless. nt