To have good neighbors, you have to be a good neighbor. That involves becoming active in the community, meeting other people with similar interests, and offering a helping hand. The rule of treating others as you want to be treated is particularly warranted in dealing with neighbors. Networking with others in the community will help you find the best people when you need assistance.
For some projects, it makes a great deal of sense
to work with neighbors that have common goals. Road maintenance is a
good example. Private roads are often serviced by maintenance
associations. Members often fund road work based on a formula of how
much road is on their property. Even if you only need to maintain the
roads that are on your property, if often makes sense to schedule
grading and other maintenance along with a neighbor or two.
Cooperating with your neighbors can reduce
scheduling concerns. One of the largest costs in road maintenance is
just getting the equipment on site. Moving a large and heavy piece of
equipment from one job to another takes a truck and trailer, possibly
permits, and support equipment. If the contractor can schedule two or
three small jobs near by, you may be able to negotiate a lower price
by splitting the “move-in” costs. The contractor might also
find your combined job more attractive from the standpoint of having
a longer overall commitment in one place.
Neighbors are a great source of local information on who are the best
contractors and professionals to work with. They can also point out
who you should avoid and what their services cost locally.
It takes time to be a good neighbor and to meet
and work with others. Relationships will have their ups and downs.
The rewards, though not guaranteed, can be wonderful. A few hours
working on a local project can save you many more if it helps you
meet the best bulldozer operator in the county when you need to fix a
road.
Contracting is the most significant hurdle to working with your neighbors effectively. Having multiple parties involved with setting objectives, arranging payments, and sharing liabilities can make a simple project more complex.
Not all neighbors will want to work together. Some folks just do not work well with strangers. Others have no interest in their communities. In any event, it is desirable to keep all of your neighbors informed about your resource management activities, especially those that use heavy equipment. Some activities, like timber harvesting, require neighbor notification, letting people know ahead of time of potentially disruptive activities. A neighbor planning house painting would be upset by the dust raised in a road grading. A bit of coordination can go a long way to prevent hurt feelings and angry situations.
The first question to answer is who are the
neighbors, especially with rural properties, which may have absentee
landowners. You might not know who owns the land adjacent to your
property. The best way to find out is a visit to the county
recorder’s office. Find your parcel using the parcel number on
your tax bill. Locate your parcel on the assessor plat maps. Note the
parcel numbers of all the properties that are near yours. You may
also want to note any parcels upstream or downstream of any creeks
that flow through your property. This will be important if you plan
on harvesting timber. With parcel numbers in hand, you can look up
the addresses of the actual owners.
That takes care of the adjacent owners, but what
about the other people that live in the community? Community groups
and organizations are always looking for help. Most rural communities
have at least a weekly local paper that lists community events. The
local chamber of commerce or the nearest library are good resources
to find out what is happening in the community. Then it is up to you
to pick the organizations that best match your interests and
abilities.
Here are some ideas to get you started. Local
volunteer fire departments often need help, if not with fire fighting
which takes training and physical stamina, then with fund raising,
maintenance, and administrative tasks. Most small libraries have a
“friends of” organization that can use time and talent.
Getting involved with such organizations is a great way to get to
know about a community.
Local, county, and state parks usually have an
interpretive association that needs volunteers to act as docents.
This is a great way of finding information about local plants,
animals, and history.
Other groups with related interests are a means
for meeting neighbors. Resource Conservation Districts are groups of
landowners interested in land management issues. Landowner groups
like the Forest Landowners of California and homeowner associations
may offer opportunities to meet your neighbors.
Once you have taken the time to meet a few people, they will introduce you to others. Just ask around. It is easy to find more places that need help than you will have time for.
Turning neighbors into friends for your mutual
benefit takes time, patience, and cooperation. Start small with
genuine offers of help, and you can build to amazing levels of trust
and cooperation.
Offer simple goods and services like “I am
heading to the hardware store, would you like me to pick something up
for you?” Some will be cool to the offer, others will recognize
your good intentions. Start small, extra garden vegetables (maybe not
zucchini!) or help with a routine errand. Offering too much too fast
can be intimidating if neighbors don’t want to be indebted to
strangers.
If your neighbor offers a favor, accept it when
practical. Favors consistently turned down are a signal that they are
unwelcome. If you can’t accept, decline graciously and offer to
stay in touch or to reciprocate in the future.
If you borrow something, a tool perhaps, return it
clean, sharpened, and in better condition than you received it and in
a timely manner. If you damage a borrowed item, take responsibility
and repair or replace it.
It is important to reciprocate. Look for ways to
return favors offered. You may even ask if there is anything you can
help with. Be patient if reciprocation does not happen immediately.
Don’t keep score. Only genuine offers of neighborly cooperation
will be readily accepted. Being a good neighbor, to get good
neighbors, takes cooperation and cooperation builds friendship.
On the other hand, if several offers of help are
declined, or favors are never returned even when it seems
appropriate, then redirect your kindness to neighbors that can
appreciate that. Cooperation is a two-way street.
Your neighbors should be your friends and supporters. Working together makes the task a lot easier for all.
In accordance with applicable State and Federal laws and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate in any of its policies, procedures, or practices on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, medical condition, or handicap. Inquiries regarding this policy may be directed to the Affirmative Action Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 300 Lakeside Drive, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612-3560. (510) 987-0096.
Publication of this series was in part funded by the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
under Contract numbers 8CA96027 and 8CA96028