Summer Visitors Poison Trees to See Ocean Better
2024-06-24
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1A common subject for British mystery stories is a death at a seaside community.
2But in the northeastern state of Maine, mysterious, real deaths happened - although the victims were trees that blocked the view from a wealthy family's summer home.
3The story begins with a home kept by Amelia Bond, former chief of the St. Louis Foundation, and Arthur Bond III, an architect.
4Their summer home is on a hill that looks out onto Camden Harbor, part of Penobscot Bay, Maine.
5Amelia Bond brought a powerful chemical that kills plants, an herbicide, from Missouri in 2021.
6She placed it near tall trees on the waterfront property of Lisa Gorman.
7Gorman's home is downhill from the Bonds' home.
8To make matters worse, the chemical began to spread into a neighboring park and the town's only public seaside beach.
9The highest level of law enforcement for the state is now investigating.
10Paul Hodgson is a resident of Camden who, like his neighbors, feels angry about the event.
11"Anybody dumb enough to poison trees right next to the ocean should be prosecuted, as far as I'm concerned," he said.
12When the trees and other plant life began dying, Amelia Bond told Gorman in June 2022 that the trees did not look good and offered to share the cost of removing them, Gorman's lawyer wrote in a document.
13Instead, Gorman had the trees tested.
14Soon, she called on lawyers to take action.
15The Bonds have paid more than $1.7 million in fines and payments to the town and neighbors.
16The trees are now gone and the harbor view from the Bonds' home is improved.
17Bond used a chemical named Tebuthiuron.
18It stays in the soil for a long time where it continues to kill plants.
19Scott McElroy is an Auburn University professor specializing in weed science and herbicide chemistry.
20He said it could take six months to two years for rain to dilute the chemical, so it no longer endangers plants.
21Tom Hedstrom is a local government leader in Maine.
22"Wealth and power don't always go hand in hand with intelligence, education and morals," he said.
23"This was atrocious and gross and any other word you want to use to describe abhorrent behavior."
24The Bonds have paid a price for their actions, which they admitted in legal agreements.
25The money they paid included fees for testing damage to the environment and for using an herbicide illegally.
26They also paid more than $1.5 million to Gorman in a legal settlement.
27Hodgson said it is not just wealthy summer visitors who break the rules.
28He said some residents in the community have been known to cut down trees, knowing that it is illegal.
29"They just pay the fine because they have plenty of money," Hodgson said.
30"That's the town we live in."
31I'm Jill Robbins.
1A common subject for British mystery stories is a death at a seaside community. 2But in the northeastern state of Maine, mysterious, real deaths happened - although the victims were trees that blocked the view from a wealthy family's summer home. 3The story begins with a home kept by Amelia Bond, former chief of the St. Louis Foundation, and Arthur Bond III, an architect. Their summer home is on a hill that looks out onto Camden Harbor, part of Penobscot Bay, Maine. 4Amelia Bond brought a powerful chemical that kills plants, an herbicide, from Missouri in 2021. She placed it near tall trees on the waterfront property of Lisa Gorman. Gorman's home is downhill from the Bonds' home. 5To make matters worse, the chemical began to spread into a neighboring park and the town's only public seaside beach. The highest level of law enforcement for the state is now investigating. 6Paul Hodgson is a resident of Camden who, like his neighbors, feels angry about the event. "Anybody dumb enough to poison trees right next to the ocean should be prosecuted, as far as I'm concerned," he said. 7'Helpful neighbor' 8When the trees and other plant life began dying, Amelia Bond told Gorman in June 2022 that the trees did not look good and offered to share the cost of removing them, Gorman's lawyer wrote in a document. 9Instead, Gorman had the trees tested. Soon, she called on lawyers to take action. 10The Bonds have paid more than $1.7 million in fines and payments to the town and neighbors. The trees are now gone and the harbor view from the Bonds' home is improved. 11Lasting damage 12Bond used a chemical named Tebuthiuron. It stays in the soil for a long time where it continues to kill plants. 13Scott McElroy is an Auburn University professor specializing in weed science and herbicide chemistry. He said it could take six months to two years for rain to dilute the chemical, so it no longer endangers plants. 14Tom Hedstrom is a local government leader in Maine. 15"Wealth and power don't always go hand in hand with intelligence, education and morals," he said. "This was atrocious and gross and any other word you want to use to describe abhorrent behavior." 16Paying a price 17The Bonds have paid a price for their actions, which they admitted in legal agreements. 18The money they paid included fees for testing damage to the environment and for using an herbicide illegally. They also paid more than $1.5 million to Gorman in a legal settlement. 19Hodgson said it is not just wealthy summer visitors who break the rules. He said some residents in the community have been known to cut down trees, knowing that it is illegal. 20"They just pay the fine because they have plenty of money," Hodgson said. "That's the town we live in." 21I'm Jill Robbins. 22David Sharp wrote this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 23______________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25view - n. the things that can be seen from a particular place 26architect -n. a person whose job it is to design buildings 27prosecute -v. when a public official brings charges against a defendant in a court of law 28herbicide - n. a chemical used to kill plants or stop plant growth 29dilute - v. to make (a liquid) thinner or less strong by adding water or another liquid 30morals -n. (pl.) ideas about the right way to live life 31atrocious -adj. horrible 32abhorrent -adj. causing disgust and outrage 33What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.