Cali Couple Doing Some Gardening Get Slammed With Thousands Of Dollars In Fines

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There is something terribly off-putting about the idea that a home you own is still somehow under the purview of your local government. After all, having bought this patch of land, one would think that it is yours to do with as you please, just so long as you’re not being a nuisance to your neighbors.

But, no. The government still has plenty of say in how you maintain “your” piece of the American pie, including, but not limited to, what sort of yard work you do.

One couple in California learned this lesson the hard way, and it could cost them over $18,000.

A California couple looking to build a home on a plot of land they own uprooted 36 Joshua trees to make room for it—and ended up fined $18,000 as a result. Joshua trees, which are not actually trees but succulents technically named Yucca brevifolia, are imperiled, their numbers dwindling due to extreme weather caused by climate change, fire, and damage to Joshua Tree National Park that occurred during the government shutdown that ended in January 2019. They are being considered for protection under California’s endangered species act, and it is already illegal in the state to disturb, replant, or remove them, the Guardian reports. Taking a Joshua tree is punishable by up to $4,100 in fines plus six months behind bars.

Worse still: It was a neighbor who ratted them out.

A neighbor noticed the couple uprooting the plants with a tractor back in February and warned them that it was illegal, then called the Department of Fish & Wildlife to report what was going on.

The couple’s fines could be lowered if they complete a certain amount of volunteer work with a local organization who is dedicated to the preservation of the trees.

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