The owner of 9 Buttondown Lane in Great Barrington has been assessed a $5,450 penalty from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) for the alteration of protected riverfront land.

A general contractor hired by Daniel Jusidman to conduct landscaping work instead cut and cleared 22 trees (2,500 square feet) within the protected Riverfront Area of the Williams River, according to a statement. The land extending 200 feet along either side of a river is protected as Riverfront Area under the Wetlands Protection Act.

Jusidman, who is now required to restore the wetlands on his Great Barrington property, has hired an environmental consultant to prepare and submit a restoration plan to MassDEP for approval. The MassDEP consent order requires the implementation of the plan, in addition to follow-up monitoring of the success of the replanting efforts. MassDEP will suspend $2,450 of the assessed penalty provided Jusidman complies with the terms of the order.

"Property owners are responsible for the actions of property managers and contractors if those actions result in a violation of the Wetlands Protection Act," said Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP’s western regional office in Springfield. "Property owners need to be sure that their agents and contractors comply with the Wetlands Protection Act and obtain any needed permits prior to undertaking any action."