The Gallery Golf Club is being investigated by the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) after two rare cactuses were cut down as part of their preparation to host a LIV Golf event.
Last month, local resident Jerry Parker filmed a landscaping company cutting down two saguaro cactuses on the golf club's property to make room for temporary hospitality tents for the upcoming LIV event. "I was just taken back, I couldn't believe it happened," he said.
"There was no sense talking to the workers, they were trying to avoid me for sure, but it wasn't the workers. They were doing the job that someone told them to do. So the question is who and why."
According to Arizona state law, a permit needs to be obtained from the AZDA to remove a native plant such as a saguaro cactus and failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $5,000.
And Heather Flowers, the assistant director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy at the AZDA, has revealed the club failed to do so and are under investigation as a result.
"The AZDA did not identify records of a permit or notice of intent for The Gallery Golf Club to cut down the two saguaros, and we are currently conducting an investigation related to this action," Flowers said.
The general manager of the club, Jeremy Duda, claimed they did not give the landscaping company permission to chop down the cactuses. "We were under the impression that they were going to be relocated," he said. "That's what we were told, and they ended up chopping them down without our permission."
However, in a separate statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix, the club claimed the cactuses were "unstable" and had to be removed despite initial plans to relocate them. "Our maintenance practices are designed to protect the natural beauty of our desert landscape," the statement read.
"In this instance, despite an original plan to safely relocate two Saguaros on our property, it was determined that they were unstable, which led to the decision to remove them. Along with the community and our Membership, we will always be committed to protecting our beautiful environment."
