Wetlands
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Smurf Says... |
Ongoing saga over the Wetlands on the edge of Greg's current property.
**During the events in this article, Kai went by the nickname "Lainey" and did not yet identify as a trans man. The writing in this article will reflect Kai's current name and pronouns, but images, quotes, and videos will not.
Destruction and County Intervention
Due to a drop in income due to the Adpocalypse and pending IRS debts, Greg and his spouse Kai sold two of their homes and gifted their third home to Greg's mother. They moved into a new home in 2018. This home is sometimes referred to as the "swamp shack" on drama forums due to the wetlands at the end of the property and due to the affiliation people make with Greg and Shrek.
wetlands and lake restrictions
In Kai's vlog video "Does My Relationship Have A Future?", Greg and Kai explain they are driving to a tractor place to rent a tractor. Kai waits in the car and talks to the camera while Greg goes to speak to the workers. ($ource)
On August 10, 2018, Greg used the heavy machinery he rented to rip vegetation out of the ground and push it into the lake at the edge of his property. Without a permit, Greg was pulling vegetation from a protected wetland buffer zone and pushing the remains into a lake that also has its own government protection.
The neighbor who lived across the lake from Greg was an employee of the county's Fish & Wildlife department and was aware of the restrictions on the wetlands. He recorded a video of Greg clearing the wetland and reported him for working on a wetland with Category 2 protection and a 100 foot buffer from the lake.
With the neighbor's report and evidence, the county opened a case against Greg and Kai on August 15, 2018. (Source)
Because Greg's neighbor submitted the video to the county as evidence, is publicly available through the county website. The video was later spread on drama forums and Youtuber Repzion showed it in his viral video about Greg's wetland situation (more info below). Due to the video circulation online, Greg falsely claims his neighbor is actually an Anti-O "peeping Tom" who recorded the video maliciously and released it online. (Source)
On August 23, 2018, a representative from Greg's county contacted him over phone. According to the report, the representative informed Greg about the regulations on the land and the permit requirements that would be needed to work on the land. When they discussed the activity that occurred on the site, Greg "explained that he cleared vegetation with a bobcat to expand the lawn area and provide a view of the water." The county representative asked if Greg would give her permission for her to perform a site visit and Greg refused. He gave them his email and said he did not consent to the visit, but he would consider sending photos. The county worker emailed Greg links to information about PCC Title 18E and the Growth Management Act. (Source)
Internet Drama Begins
The internet was not aware of the wetlands situation until Greg ranted about it on Twitter. On September 8, 2018, Greg revealed on twitter that he and Kai were threatened with 90 days in prison for pulling blackberry bushes and devil's club from his yard. He accused the government of harassment and complains he is going to lose thousands of dollars. He claims the county confirmed he removed the plants by trespassing on his property when he did not give them permission to do so. He says a lawyer he spoke to confirmed this. He provides snippets from the Notice and Order to Correct he received from the county and claims no water was effected and that erosion was not possible. (Source)
Shortly after the Twitter rant, Greg removed all his tweets about the incident. Almost instantly, Drama Followers online began looking into county records and found out the details of what had been going on. Some also looked back on Greg and Kai's content from the past year to put together more context on what had been going on.
"Court"
Viral
On December 23, 2018, Youtuber Repzion uploaded the video "Onision Lost In Court!"
The video went viral and Greg's wetlands situation became known outside of his fanbase and on drama forums. (Source)
Go Fund Me
Meltdown Videos
Current Situation
Due to COVID-19, the county keeps extending the expiration for the certificate of non compliance they issued him. Because the county has not intervened, Greg continues to claim he did not destroy the wetlands, but in fact improved them.