[af_vet_rr]

For a highway, for a power line or sewer project, for any sort of public works, okay. But so some private individual can come in and make profit off your land, no way! This is wrong.

These kinds of things are going on all over the place. Nobody gives a **** until it happens to them.

It's not just your local governments either.

This is why property rights and ownership mean less and less.

As stupid as it sounds, if anybody is worried about their land being taken for something like this, your best defense is to document the wildlife there, have some biologists do a few surveys and write-ups about the part it plays in the local ecosystem, and get the enviros on your side. Had a friend do something like this (bugged the hell out of him to do it) and it worked, amazing the "rights" that a certain type of bird has, while we humans don't.

[longtermmemmory]

there is actually one other trend that has facilitated this. They have capped the ability of lawyers to collect fees for prevailing in such outrage cases. (in addition to crippling bond demands just to file the suit) The laws mean nothing if you can't use them for your defense. (place aside the problems of ambulance chasers) When the poor Aunt has no effective means of recourse, all the laws and constitutions in the world are the equivalent of toilet paper.

[atlaw]

LOL! I'm going to start documenting the daily possum trek across the top of my backyard fence, and I'm already feeling a little more charitable towards that con-artist racoon under my deck. I can only hope that there's some kind of "endangered urban varmint" provision to help me out if push comes to shove.

[demsux]

As stupid as it sounds, if anybody is worried about their land being taken for something like this, your best defense is to document the wildlife there, have some biologists do a few surveys and write-ups about the part it plays in the local ecosystem, and get the enviros on your side. Had a friend do something like this (bugged the hell out of him to do it) and it worked, amazing the "rights" that a certain type of bird has, while we humans don't.

Outstanding approach...that'll scare the hell out of most developers.

A few strategically placed "arrow heads" will bring this thing to an immediate halt.