A Plant To Thwart Development?

Sebastopol meadowfoam is an endangered plant that only grows in a small area of Sonoma County, Calif. A Sonoma State University conservation biologist believes they are naturally growing on a development site, but the state?EUR??,,????'???s Dept. of Fish and Game disagrees.

Authorities are on the lookout for pistil-packing activists who may have planted endangered wildflowers in order to block a housing development.

California?EUR??,,????'???s Department of Fish and Game believes that Sebastopol meadowfoam specimens discovered in the Laguna Vista subdivision in Sebastopol were deliberately transplanted from another location.

State officials launched a criminal investigation last week to determine who planted the wildflower, listed by the state and federal governments as endangered, which can present major obstacles to development.

So far, there aren?EUR??,,????'???t any suspects. And not everyone agrees with the state?EUR??,,????'???s finding.

Phil Northen, a Sonoma State University conservation biologist who first identified the 22 plants spotted on the 21-acre site, said he didn?EUR??,,????'???t believe they were transplants.