Neighbors and Trees
November 25, 2024 10:18 PM Subscribe
I live in Chicago. My next door neighbor hired people today to nail two squirrel nest boxes to the tree in front of my apartment building, not their property and really not mine (and I rent) as it's the city curb portion. This infuriates me, it's ugly, and contributing to a squirrel problem. I'm not sure how to ask the city to address this at all. I am afraid of this neighbor and direct convo/action with them is not possible. Is there anything I can do/any advice for me?
In Boston, my advice would be contact your neighborhood liaison and city councilor.
In terms of other advice, I guess I would just say that, knowing the (lack of) speed at which government usually operates, maybe see if there is collateral rage getting rolled into your desire to take the squirrel’s nest down.
In other words - it might take the city weeks, months, or years to prioritize this (hopefully not! but it might). So is there anything else you could do to work through the powerlessness you feel around your neighbor?
Ideas: journaling, take up boxing, write your neighbor a letter that you’ll never send, can you mitigate the view from your window at all (put a privacy film on the portion of window where you’d see it?), call a friend to vent for an hour.
Just trying to think of how you can stay sane and address the wider impact this person has on you while recognizing that the city may take their sweet time on this. Good luck!
posted by seemoorglass at 4:58 AM on November 26 [2 favorites]
In terms of other advice, I guess I would just say that, knowing the (lack of) speed at which government usually operates, maybe see if there is collateral rage getting rolled into your desire to take the squirrel’s nest down.
In other words - it might take the city weeks, months, or years to prioritize this (hopefully not! but it might). So is there anything else you could do to work through the powerlessness you feel around your neighbor?
Ideas: journaling, take up boxing, write your neighbor a letter that you’ll never send, can you mitigate the view from your window at all (put a privacy film on the portion of window where you’d see it?), call a friend to vent for an hour.
Just trying to think of how you can stay sane and address the wider impact this person has on you while recognizing that the city may take their sweet time on this. Good luck!
posted by seemoorglass at 4:58 AM on November 26 [2 favorites]
Call 311, write your alderperson, take the boxes down yourself and use them as dibs to mark your parking.
posted by phunniemee at 4:59 AM on November 26 [9 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 4:59 AM on November 26 [9 favorites]
I would call your version of animal control and ask questions about squirrels, rabies, and if they will remove the squirrel house due to risk.
Editing to add-there are currently no nests in it yet, right?
posted by childofTethys at 5:19 AM on November 26 [5 favorites]
Editing to add-there are currently no nests in it yet, right?
posted by childofTethys at 5:19 AM on November 26 [5 favorites]
Your neighbour is not doing this to infuriate you. They probably just like squirrels. Maybe you can use that thought as the basis for a possible reframing.
posted by rd45 at 5:32 AM on November 26 [45 favorites]
posted by rd45 at 5:32 AM on November 26 [45 favorites]
It sounds like the tree belongs to the city. Putting nails or screws in trees can damage their health. I wouldn't hesitate at all to report it to the city. Here is a link where you can do so. I would choose, "Dead or Damaged Trees". Squirrels are deceptively cute, which helps hide how gross they are. I once lived in a very nice apartment and a squirrel gnawed through the ceiling of my closet, covering my clothing with sawdust ... so disgusting!! So I recommend that you also choose, "Rodent Control" in your report.
posted by SageTrail at 6:10 AM on November 26 [9 favorites]
posted by SageTrail at 6:10 AM on November 26 [9 favorites]
Squirrels (unlike other urban animals like skunks and raccoons and bats and foxes) are not considered a rabies risk.
Call 311 or go to the dot gov Streets and Sanitation web page to submit a tree issue. Say this is a damaged tree.
posted by ponie at 6:14 AM on November 26 [7 favorites]
Call 311 or go to the dot gov Streets and Sanitation web page to submit a tree issue. Say this is a damaged tree.
posted by ponie at 6:14 AM on November 26 [7 favorites]
Posted my answer before seeing SageTrail's -- I was referring to the Dead and Damaged tree site as well.
posted by ponie at 6:32 AM on November 26
posted by ponie at 6:32 AM on November 26
Go ahead and follow the advice of people familiar with Chicago city rules, but I do want to strongly affirm rd45's comment - most likely your neighbor just loves squirrels. Lot's of people have a soft spot for them - they're fun to watch. They likely have no idea any of their neighbors would mind, nonetheless get infuriated. So while you wait for the city bureaucracy to respond, I'd work on going from "infuriated" to at least "mildly annoyed," for your own sake. I've found it's much easier to live in cities when you can laugh off the various inevitable human annoyances.
posted by coffeecat at 6:48 AM on November 26 [9 favorites]
posted by coffeecat at 6:48 AM on November 26 [9 favorites]
I have a crowbar you’re welcome to borrow.
What does your landlord think of this?
How accessible (to you) are these? What if squirrels simply never moved in to the boxes? Maybe because they had some other materials clogging them up?
You could pay someone to come by with a sledgehammer.
Maybe post signs calling a building meeting to discuss this unilateral change to your communal living environment. Perhaps others hate it as well.
posted by at at 7:02 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
What does your landlord think of this?
How accessible (to you) are these? What if squirrels simply never moved in to the boxes? Maybe because they had some other materials clogging them up?
You could pay someone to come by with a sledgehammer.
Maybe post signs calling a building meeting to discuss this unilateral change to your communal living environment. Perhaps others hate it as well.
posted by at at 7:02 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
Squirrels territories overlap, but based on food sources, not housing. I doubt this will bring MORE squirrels but may make it so that an existing one are less likely to enter someone's attic.
What IS the squirrel problem you are dealing with?
Guessing chewing on trash cans?
posted by ReluctantViking at 7:08 AM on November 26 [7 favorites]
What IS the squirrel problem you are dealing with?
Guessing chewing on trash cans?
posted by ReluctantViking at 7:08 AM on November 26 [7 favorites]
Yeah if you share what the squirrel problem is that might help.
You can get a squirrel repellant (or look up DYI ones) and place it or spray it in the boxes, but then they'll be more likely to nest in a garage etc.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:28 AM on November 26 [2 favorites]
You can get a squirrel repellant (or look up DYI ones) and place it or spray it in the boxes, but then they'll be more likely to nest in a garage etc.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:28 AM on November 26 [2 favorites]
I've found it's much easier to live in cities when you can laugh off the various inevitable human annoyances.
The OP is posting anonymously and literally says they are afraid of their neighbor and worried about confrontation with them, we don't know what's going on specifically but maybe we can respect their experience rather than speculating that their neighbor is a harmless squirrel lover and that OP just needs instruction in anodyne attitudes. We literally do not know the context of what is happening.
posted by ponie at 7:48 AM on November 26 [16 favorites]
The OP is posting anonymously and literally says they are afraid of their neighbor and worried about confrontation with them, we don't know what's going on specifically but maybe we can respect their experience rather than speculating that their neighbor is a harmless squirrel lover and that OP just needs instruction in anodyne attitudes. We literally do not know the context of what is happening.
posted by ponie at 7:48 AM on November 26 [16 favorites]
The “Dead and Damaged Trees” form is meant to report trees that are posing a hazard to life and property. If you use that form to report a squirrel box there’s a 90% chance it will be ignored and a 10% chance someone will show up one day six months from now and cut down the tree.
posted by theodolite at 7:54 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
posted by theodolite at 7:54 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
What does your landlord think of this?
Do they even know about it? I'd ask them what they think first. It may be in their interest to put a stop to this and your neighbor would never need to know you alerted them.
posted by BibiRose at 7:57 AM on November 26 [3 favorites]
Do they even know about it? I'd ask them what they think first. It may be in their interest to put a stop to this and your neighbor would never need to know you alerted them.
posted by BibiRose at 7:57 AM on November 26 [3 favorites]
If you're worried about it exacerbating an existing rodent problem, I'd suggest a 311 report as well as a call to animal control about whatever the existing problem is. If you have some sort of building management or superintendent you can talk to about the existing problem, I'd do that as well. The new box can be one part of that conversation, but doesn't necessarily need to be the focus, if it's the underlying existing squirrel problem that needs solving.
The aesthetic piece of it isn't going to get you anywhere with anyone, and that part you probably just have to chalk up to "some people like this kind of thing and find it cute, you don't, but it's not your property so you're going to have to find a way to live with the aesthetic displeasure.
Expect anything done through the city to take weeks at minimum and more likely months, so in the shorter term, yes, focusing on finding a way to cope with your anger about this would probably be helpful for you. If there's something you can do or try that helps you with other strong unpleasant emotion - exercise? journalling? a good vent session with a friend? - it might be a good idea to lean on those skills.
posted by Stacey at 8:23 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
The aesthetic piece of it isn't going to get you anywhere with anyone, and that part you probably just have to chalk up to "some people like this kind of thing and find it cute, you don't, but it's not your property so you're going to have to find a way to live with the aesthetic displeasure.
Expect anything done through the city to take weeks at minimum and more likely months, so in the shorter term, yes, focusing on finding a way to cope with your anger about this would probably be helpful for you. If there's something you can do or try that helps you with other strong unpleasant emotion - exercise? journalling? a good vent session with a friend? - it might be a good idea to lean on those skills.
posted by Stacey at 8:23 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
"10-32-110 Attaching material to tree. No person shall secure, hang, fasten, attach or run any rope, wire, sign, decoration, electrical device or other material upon, around or through any public tree without a permit to do so."
Who knows ... maybe they had a permit to attach them???? (However, I very highly doubt it.)
I recommend calling 311 to get clarification/assistance.
posted by SageTrail at 9:05 AM on November 26 [5 favorites]
Who knows ... maybe they had a permit to attach them???? (However, I very highly doubt it.)
I recommend calling 311 to get clarification/assistance.
posted by SageTrail at 9:05 AM on November 26 [5 favorites]
Is it possible they're for bats?
posted by theora55 at 9:05 AM on November 26 [6 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 9:05 AM on November 26 [6 favorites]
Squirrels did several thousand dollars damage to my house before I bought it and I currently have to use fucking barbed wire to attempt to keep them out and keep them from covering my entire back step area with shit every day. So yeah, we get it, some people think they are cute.
But unless you'd not mind a rat problem in your house maybe consider OP knows what they are on about before blathering on about how you like squirrels.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:27 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
But unless you'd not mind a rat problem in your house maybe consider OP knows what they are on about before blathering on about how you like squirrels.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:27 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
Mod note: A couple comments deleted. Please address the main question being asked in your comment without speculation and without questioning or mocking the OP.
posted by loup (staff) at 9:33 AM on November 26 [2 favorites]
posted by loup (staff) at 9:33 AM on November 26 [2 favorites]
I feel ya. City squirrels are a menace. Just be aware that that after the Peanut debacle your authorities might be reluctant to get involved. Perhaps you could suggest that they could preempt that kind of adverse publicity by taking the boxes down ASAP.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:05 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
posted by BlueHorse at 10:05 AM on November 26 [1 favorite]
Mod note: From the OP:
The tree is on the curb portion of the street, meaning it is not my landlord's property or the property of the house next door, but I believe city property. The neighbor is a frightening person for many reasons we don't need to get into, just trust me on this one. I think I will make a general rodent complaint through 311 and contact the alderman but I don't know if anything can be done.posted by loup (staff) at 11:16 AM on November 26 [7 favorites]
I also think its pretty normal to be annoyed when a neighbor decides to attack a tree and put something directly in your eye line on not their property. They have an entire backyard they own with large trees, they didn't need to use a tree in front of someone else's house for their squirrel project. But I asked for advice, just didn't think that would include advice for modifying my emotions about it, which wasn't my intent. That was silly, given how AskMe works but please, no need to comment further on my emotional state. Thanks for the answers so far!
I think telling your landlord about it is a good idea - they may do your work for you if they have any feelings about it.
I don't know that I'd get too worried about who's property the tree actually is - while a landscape strip between the sidewalk and street is typically part of the City right-of-way and thus public property, there's generally an understanding and even laws requiring that property owners adjacent to those strips maintain them - like, the City generally doesn't come out and rake leaves from those trees or mow the lawn there; you may not own the sidewalk but you're still required to shovel it after snowfall. But that means a squirrel box is creating a potential problem that your landlord will be responsible for, and maybe they'd rather not be, and they'd be perfectly within their own rights to remove a box from a tree they have to maintain that was installed by someone else.
posted by LionIndex at 1:35 PM on November 26 [3 favorites]
I don't know that I'd get too worried about who's property the tree actually is - while a landscape strip between the sidewalk and street is typically part of the City right-of-way and thus public property, there's generally an understanding and even laws requiring that property owners adjacent to those strips maintain them - like, the City generally doesn't come out and rake leaves from those trees or mow the lawn there; you may not own the sidewalk but you're still required to shovel it after snowfall. But that means a squirrel box is creating a potential problem that your landlord will be responsible for, and maybe they'd rather not be, and they'd be perfectly within their own rights to remove a box from a tree they have to maintain that was installed by someone else.
posted by LionIndex at 1:35 PM on November 26 [3 favorites]
My partner has a degree in animal behavior and works in wildlife ecology. They said that squirrel boxes reduce the risk of squirrel damage to your home. The squirrels are there because there is a food source in the area, and the squirrel box doesn’t change that. It will not draw new squirrels to your area. It will only change what the squirrels who are already there damage when they make a nest. If the squirrel box is easier to get into than your attic, then they will nest there instead. The squirrel boxes are not contributing to a squirrel problem—they are doing the opposite.
Sorry that they’re ugly, though. Maybe you could decorate them with a string of leaves, some pinecones, or whatever other bits of seasonal nature are around?
posted by brook horse at 8:18 AM on November 27 [7 favorites]
Sorry that they’re ugly, though. Maybe you could decorate them with a string of leaves, some pinecones, or whatever other bits of seasonal nature are around?
posted by brook horse at 8:18 AM on November 27 [7 favorites]
The property is owned by the landlord, but the city has a Right of Way with specific rights. Sorry you have a scary neighbor.
posted by theora55 at 9:36 AM on November 27
posted by theora55 at 9:36 AM on November 27
The property is owned by the landlord, but the city has a Right of Way with specific rights.
It varies depending on location, jurisdiction, and how the area was platted out. In my city, the property line usually starts at the back side of the sidewalk; one of the forms required to apply for a building permit is a "curb to property line" card noting that distance, which the records department fills out for you based on city engineering drawings showing where the actual property line is. In a lot of the unincorporated county I'm in, the property line is at the center of the street with an easement for the road and utilities.
posted by LionIndex at 11:40 AM on November 27
It varies depending on location, jurisdiction, and how the area was platted out. In my city, the property line usually starts at the back side of the sidewalk; one of the forms required to apply for a building permit is a "curb to property line" card noting that distance, which the records department fills out for you based on city engineering drawings showing where the actual property line is. In a lot of the unincorporated county I'm in, the property line is at the center of the street with an easement for the road and utilities.
posted by LionIndex at 11:40 AM on November 27
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