Idahoan farmers claim construction on this property is wreaking havoc on its surrounding neighbors.
Several farmers in Idaho have joined together to sue billionaire Jared Smith after his Good Timber Ranch project allegedly harmed the local environment — and without permits, according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Good Timber Ranch is a large property just south of Victor, Idaho. The plot of land borders Caribou-Targhee National Forest and several farms.
A stop-work order was issued after Teton County officials and the Idaho Department of Water Resources discovered that construction was underway without obtaining permits or posting notices.
The Teton County, Idaho, Planning and Zoning Commission also denied Good Timber's request to build a nearly 10,000-square-foot home with "eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It would be 30 feet tall and include an additional 1,970 square feet of covered patio," according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Construction crews had already begun land grading, which involves smoothing the soil, and excavation, which caused silt to flow downstream. The Department of Water Resources is analyzing nearby waterways for signs of damage, but neighboring farmers claim the damage is clear.
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Susan Miller, whose farm is a plaintiff in the complaint, said she and other farmers have "watched in dismay as these new owners have degraded the land and disrupted the wildlife and the wetlands," per the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Habitat loss is the most significant driver of extinction. 47,000 species are currently threatened with extinction, per the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and nearly all of them experience some form of habitat loss. Whether it's due to degradation, like melting sea ice in the Arctic, or destruction, like deforestation of the Amazon, habitat loss has a devastating impact on the plants and animals that live there.
Although Good Timber is working to resolve the complaints, members of the commission called Good Timber's plans "dishonest" and "misleading," per the Jackson Hole News & Guide. Good Timber should take notes from lumber company Idaho Forest Group, which donated 2,000 acres of forest to protect and preserve the land, watershed, and animals — forever.
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