California couple fined $18,000 for illegally uprooting 36 Joshua trees

[Judi Lynn]

The imperiled desert species is being considered for protection under the state’s endangered species act

Victoria Bekiempis
Tue 29 Jun 2021 15.46 EDT

A couple has been fined $18,000 after uprooting 36 Joshua trees to make space for a home and then burying them in a hole. Authorities hope the fine discourages others from mowing down the crooked-limbed plant, which is an imperiled species being considered for protection under California’s endangered species act.

“Most California citizens who reside in Joshua tree habitat revere these iconic desert species, more so now than ever because of its degraded population status,” Nathaniel Arnold, the deputy chief of the California department of fish and wildlife’s law enforcement division, said in a press release. “We hope it serves as a deterrent to others who may think it is acceptable to unlawfully remove Joshua trees to make way for development.”

Authorities started investigating the destruction of these Joshua trees – which are actually not trees, but a succulent named Yucca brevifolia – on 11 February, after a nearby resident spotted his neighbors using a tractor to fell dozens of the plants. The neighbor called the department of fish and wildlife tip line to report it, according to officials and the Los Angeles Times.

The neighbor reportedly warned the couple against removing the plants. Because the western Joshua tree is being considered for protection under the state’s endangered species statute, it is “illegal to disturb, move, replant, remove” them, officials said.

Douglas Poston, a prosecutor in San Bernardino county, reportedly said that the couple thought that Joshua trees under a certain diameter could be taken out. The couple owns the lot and wanted to build a home there.

“But that’s not accurate, obviously,” the Los Angeles Times quoted Poston as saying. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a foot tall or 20ft tall, it’s under that protection.”

More:
https://hidesertstar.com/news/179250/couple-charged-18k-for-uprooting-36-joshua-trees/

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. These homebuilders are assholes

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. I hope they fail to find what they're looking for, and that their street has no name (nt)

[intrepidity]

3. hehe love it

[intheflow]

4. If you don't like Joshua trees, how about not

buying property that has this rare plant species on it?

[Buckeye_Democrat]

5. Too bad for them, they're not a corporation.

https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/08/18/renewable-energy-corporations-fight-endangered-species-status-for-joshua-trees/
“California needs a lot of solar energy facilities built in order to meet its renewable energy goals,” said Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs at the Solar Energy Industry Assn., in a recent interview.
“We figure the number of Joshua trees that would be impacted would only be in the hundreds, potentially thousands,” he added. “That’s an almost infinitesimal number compared with the overall population of Joshua trees.”