On July 2 around noon my sister, brother-in-law, and I were in the family cabin near Trout Lake and heard the buzz of a chainsaw.
We looked outside to see our neighbors cutting down quaking aspens only 91 and 92 ft. from the front door of the cabin. Here are the photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102150538747404124091/2015TreesCutDownForInternet#
Why?
To improve their internet access. The trees had grown a few feet and gotten in the way of a signal from across the lake.
Why couldn't the neighbors, Daniel and Josephine DeSantis, just get a satellite dish, as many others have done?
Unanswered.
Why wasn't this discussed with us?
Unanswered--but they did consult the neighbor on the other side, who approved the cutting.
Why couldn't the trees just be topped?
Unanswered.
Did the Board of Trustees of the Trout Lake Owners Association approve the action?
One did, Phil Woodard--and the president of the Trout Lake Land Company, Jim Whitehead, also approved it.
Was this action legal?
Probably not, though Phil and Jim claim that a 200l easement for then-existing utilities applies to the internet in 2015. Give me a break.
In any case, the trees are gone.
Their crime?
Growing. Yes, trees do have a habit of doing that.