Re: Felony Convictions For Illegal Wildflower Seed Harvesting

Zion National Park (UT)
Felony Convictions For Illegal Wildflower Seed Harvesting

Ranger Anne Pestolesi came upon several large bags of illegally collected wildflower seeds along the side of the road in the Kolob Terrace area of the park last August. Over the next several weeks, Pestolesi and park staff began an investigation that led to the discovery that several hundred pounds of Palmer’s penstemon wildflower seeds had been illegally harvested and removed from the park. Special agent Matt Fisher was brought in to assist with the investigation. On September 21st, Fisher and Pestolesi travelled to the remote backcountry area where the illegal harvest had taken place. They arrested undocumented aliens Cresencio Lucena-Alvarez and Cresencio Martinez-Guzman, who were illegally camped in the backcountry and engaged in the illegal removal of the seeds. The total weight of collected seeds exceeded 900 pounds. The seed collectors intended to sell their illegal harvest to commercial seed distributers who then frequently sell their seed to federal agencies pursuing revegetation projects. On December 7th, Lucena-Alvarez and Martinez-Guzman were convicted on felony counts of 18 USC 641, theft of government property, and sentenced to 24 months of supervised probation in addition to time served. The two had been in custody since their September arrests. The court also imposed the condition that the two shall not illegally reenter the United States. Charges against additional suspects are pending. The assistance of the NPS Investigative Services Branch and the Saint George Assistant US Attorney’s Office was instrumental in the successful prosecution of the case.

Illegal aliens are a net blight on our country especially here in California. Would have preferred they spent more time behind bars to serve as an example of the seriousness of that crime against nature. The thought such wildflower seed harvesting is more than this one incident is troubling for this person that greatly values the natural beauty wildflowers bring to our national treasures. Apprently they were going to be selling the seeds to someone who ought to be penalized more than a slap on the wrist.

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DavidSenesac
Illegal aliens are a net blight on our country especially here in California.

It is interesting to imagine what California would be like without the relatively cheaper and more compliant workforce that has been available by a foreign worker population for more than 50 years. In many states, more distant from the border, there are few to no workers available for farm or ranch work, lawncare and gardening, small construction, snow removal, or domestic work.

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DavidSenesac
Would have preferred they spent more time behind bars to serve as an example of the seriousness of that crime against nature.

Isn't Arnold dealing with a massive budget deficit which is, to no small part, related to a prison system over burdened spacewise and financially now primarily because just such non-violent crimes are subject to jail time?


BTW:

seed price examples
http://www.seedland.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=wfa0947

pictures of plant:
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/pinks/pink35.html


http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=276651

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2009 05:45AM by Frank Furter.