To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Mike Wilson
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Letter of Support for Assembly Bill (AB) 223 Wildlife: Dudleya Taking and Possession (Supervisor Mike Wilson)
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Authorize the Chair to sign the letter of support.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
N/A
DISCUSSION:
AB 223 makes it unlawful to uproot, remove, harvest, cut or otherwise take Dudleya, a type of succulent perennial plant, from their natural habitat on land owned by the state or local government or on property that is not one’s own.
The bill also makes it unlawful to sell or possess with the intent to sell any Dudleya illegally taken from their natural habitat and establishes minimum penalties of $5,000 per plant for the first offense, and $40,000 per plant for any subsequent offenses.
In Humboldt County, a group was recently caught with more than 2300 plants. This kind of plant loss is catastrophic, especially since 10 percent of Dudleya are already listed as threatened or endangered by the state or federal government. Illegal poaching further compounds these threats and puts many species of Dudleya at an elevated risk of extinction.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife needs an effective way to enforce action against Dudleya poaching operations and to dissuade future poaching activity. Because of this, the Board of Supervisors is sending a letter of support for this important legislation.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
N/A
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Board discretion
ATTACHMENTS:
A. AB 223 Fact Sheet
B. AB 223 Bill Text
C. AB 223 Letter of Support
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A