Several groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and Madrone Audubon Society, have written letters to the Sonoma County district attorney urging her to pursue criminal charges against wine company executive Hugh Reimers and his company, Krasilsa Pacific Farms.
They allege the long-time wine developer bulldozed 50 acres of oak woodlands, deep-ripped about 200 acres of meadow, dredged and filled 10,000 square feet of wetlands, and dumped tree limbs and soil debris into 2,450 feet of natural creeks without on property he purchased in 2017 just east of Cloverdale, Calif.
The North Coast Regional Water Board on Aug. 29 issued a Cleanup and Abatement Order, mandating restoration, with penalties if the land is not restored on schedule.
“In similar instances, the vineyard developer has argued that the destruction they caused is so great that restoration is impossible, and regulators have imposed fines and allowed the vineyard to proceed,” said Friends of Atascadero Wetlands founder Anna Ransome.
“This cannot happen again — rewarding the violator with a retroactive permit. That is why we and nine other organizations are asking the District Attorney to bring criminal charges against Reimers. Vintners must understand that they cannot violate environmental laws with impunity. The natural resource deserves justice,” Ransome said.
As of publication time we hadn’t been able to reach Reimers for comment.