So, with this whole common land deal, I figured some issues could come up.

First off, let me say that my next-door neighbor is a really nice guy--from rural VT. He has 3 kids from about 10-17, and they are really good kids. Polite, hard-working etc. He's a nice guy. His uncle owns the house to the left of me and to the right of me, but "Peter" used to spend summers here just like I used to in CT, so he has strong ties to the area although this is his first year actually owning his own place. He bought the house from his uncle this spring.

He is a true McGiver and incredible worker. He is constantly fixing, jerry-rigging, you name it. So one day I noticed that one of the small trees lining the shore was missing. And yesterday he said to me, "So I just wanted to let you know that Im going to be cutting down all the vegetation and burning it. Is that OK with you?"

Gulp. DH and I made up our. minds we wouldn't make waves this year. But: a) burning brush is an environmental no-no.
But b) I am really opposed to him removing the vegetation! For all the environmental reasons that a shoreline needs a good buffer! Erosion, prevention of excess nutrients from run-off, habitat protection. Aesthetics, etc etc.

So I lamely said, "Well, I'm the new kid on the block, but I wouldn't mind if you kept the vegetation, to prevent erosion." That was all I could muster at the moment. And he countered with, "Yeah, but some of that stuff takes hold and it's impossible to get rid of."

I have a fantastic pdf that I printed out a couple of months ago designed for people looking to encourage healthy lakes in VT. It has a really nice page on "What is a Buffer and Why Do We Need it?" Then on that last page, there's FAQ, and one question is "If I want to plant a garden can I remove the existing vegetation?" And apparently the answer is no, 250ft from the shore is protected by the Shoreline Protection Act and you have to pull a permit.

What do I do?? Hand him the information sheet? Tell him about the restrictions? Keep my mouth shut? Or risk being that hoity-toity environmentalist? If it were his land, I would keep my mouth shut, but my taxes give me just as much of a stake in the lakefront as his are.

Well, what should I do?

PS. I hate confrontation more than anything.