Couple fined $165,000 after yard upgrade wipes out rare flower habitat: 'This settlement sends a clear message'

Couple fined $165,000 after yard upgrade wipes out rare flower habitat: 'This settlement sends a clear message'

A couple in California received a major fine after their unauthorized landscaping move resulted in harm to the habitat of a rare flower, the Pismo Clarkia plant. According to a report from Cal Coast News, Pismo Beach's District Attorney Dan Dow announced that his office settled an environmental enforcement action against homeowners Darin and Carilyn Kruse. The couple graded a portion of their private property without obtaining the required gradi…