Punishment for California couple who killed dozens of Joshua trees

A pair of California developers are paying the price after digging up dozens of Joshua trees to make way for homes, the Hi-Desert Star reports.

According to the San Bernardino County publication, a resident in a housing development in Morongo Basin noticed two individuals uprooting Joshua trees in February; Joshua trees are threatened species and it is illegal to remove, disturb or kill them. The resident called a Fish & Wildlife Department tip line to report the crime and a wildlife officer was sent to the scene.

“The action was in progress when the tip came in — in fact, the backhoe was actively knocking down and burying these trees, and our closest officer was more than two hours away,” Patrick Foy, a captain with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Star. “It wasn’t even his normal patrol area but because the potential crime was in progress, he ran over there and they had just wrapped up for the day. It was pretty obvious what had happened.”

According to Foy, landowners Jeffrey Walter and Jonetta Nordberg-Walter had uprooted over 30 trees and were burying them in a hole. Prosecutors say the couple are building a home on the land and wanted to clear space in the area. 

This week, Walter and Nordberg-Walter appeared in court on 36 misdemeanor charges, one for each tree uprooted. They agreed to pay a $9,000 fine each and swore they would not violate any law for 24 months (reduced to 12, if they follow all the rules). If the fines are paid and rules followed, the couple will have the case dropped.

If they do not, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office says it will go ahead with criminal prosecution.