Two Morongo Basin land developers have been charged and fined $18,000 for the illegal removal of Western Joshua Trees. According to a press release from the District Attorney, a concerned citizen contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) CalTIP Poaching and Pollution tip line on February 11 to report that a local landowner was intentionally uprooting Joshua Trees to make way for home construction and was burying them on a property in Joshua Tree. A wildlife officer responded to the scene and used a backhoe to dig the freshly-buried trees out of a large hole on the property. The officer presented his findings to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
On June 7, the District Attorney filed a thirty-six-count misdemeanor complaint against Jeffrey Walter and Jonetta Nordberg-Walter for the unlawful taking (removal and killing) of thirty-six Western Joshua Trees. On June 22, the Defendants were placed on a Pre-Trial Diversion Program and were each ordered to pay a fine of $9,000. A portion of the fine has been previously paid, and the Defendants may earn additional credit toward the fine by performing volunteer work for Joshua Tree National Park or the Mojave Desert Land Trust. The Western Joshua Trees were granted temporary protected status as the species is considered as a candidate for permanent protection through California Endangered Species Act. Each act of taking a Joshua Tree is a misdemeanor crime, which carries a fine and penalty assessments of up to $4,100 and/or six months in jail.
