ANNAPOLIS MAN FINED $12,000 FOR CLEARING LAND

Published on March 8, 2000

© 2000- The Press Democrat

PAGE: B3

An Annapolis property owner who failed to obtain the proper state permit to clear land for a vineyard was fined $12,000 in Sonoma County Court on Tuesday.

William Walls pleaded no contest to charges he removed trees and other vegetation from his 15-acre property on Bushy Ridge Loop. Walls was also placed on probation for one year.

Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Holtzman said $2,000 of the fine will go toward District Attorney Office costs, with the rest as restitution to the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Board.

``The fine will help off-set the harm that was done to the environment,'' Holtzman said.

Holtzman emphasized that conversion of timberland to any commercial use, such as a vineyard, requires a permit from the Department of Forestry.

Keywords: ENVIRONMENT WINE DEVELOPMENT AGRICULTURE

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