Lindenhurst Village Passes Bamboo Restrictions

The Village of Lindenhurst passed a new law restricting bamboo that went into effect immediately.

Bamboo Restricted, Not Banned
"We're not trying to stop people from growing it," Mayor Tom Brennan recently told Lindenhurst Patch. "But we can't have it invading their neighbors' property."

At the public hearing the Village held before it passed the law, the mayor said most were for the new law, with only one resident coming out in support of being able to grow it.

Brennan explained to that resident the Village needs to have residents contain the bamboo if they're going to grow it, since bamboo grows and spreads quickly and can pop up from underground runners almost anywhere - in the middle of neighboring driveways and pools, for example.

According to the new law, residents must now also maintain bamboo in addition to brush, grass and weeds, which were already regulated. And they cannot allow any bamboo to migrate to adjoining property.

To prevent migration residents are required to install an "impenetrable" barrier that's at least three feet deep.

The mayor explained if residents see bamboo growing onto their property from a neighbor's property, then they can report to the Village under the new law.

"We have to hear from the residents," the mayor said. "Residents should contact the Village about the person with the bamboo that's migrated. Then we'll give that person a warning that the bamboo has to be contained to his/her own property. If there's another complaint, then we'll issue a summons to appear in Village court."

Resident Complaints
Complaints by residents of invasive bamboo logged during the past few years prompted the Village to examine and update its own codes.

"There are a number of areas around the Village that have this problem - Madson Avenue, North Sixth, Kings, some on Hickory - and we've received a number of complaints within the last two to three years," Brennan said, who further noted there were no public areas in the Village with bamboo to his knowledge.

"It's a neighbor to neighbor problem," he said.

In putting together the new law the mayor said they looked at other municipalities who recently passed laws preventing the spread and growth of bamboo.

"It's a problem all over," Brennan said.

Other Bamboo Legislation
Indeed, its invasive qualities and the difficulties associated with limiting its proliferation has made it a somewhat unwelcome plant in many communities.

For example, Lindenhurst's new law is similar to the laws recently passed by the Towns of Babylon Huntington and Oyster Bay, according to a report on BabylonBeacon.com.

In addition, Long Beach City, according to a report on Long Beach Patch, the Town of Hempstead, according to a report on East Meadow Patch, and the Town of Brookhaven, according to a report on NorthShoreofLongIsland.com, banned bamboo last Summer.

In 2011 bamboo bans were discussed in the Towns of Smithtown and Islip and in Babylon and Sag Harbor Villages, according to reports on Smithtown, West Islip, East Hampton and Babylon Village Patch sites.

Plus, New York State Assemblyman Bob Sweeney, (D, Lindenhurst), authored a new bill designed to hinder the spread of invasive plant and animal species across the State that was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo last Summer and took effect in January, according to a report on Newsday.com.

The report said the new law makes the sale, possession or transportation of non-native species punishable by fines from the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Related Coverage:

• Lindenhurst Village Passes Bamboo Restrictions
• Village Holding Public Hearing about Bamboo Legislation 
• Village Eyes More Roadwork in Spring
• Owen Johnson's Seagrass Protection Act Passes State Senate

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