Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2007
Source: Red Bluff Daily News (CA)
Copyright: 2007 Red Bluff Daily News
Contact:  http://redbluffdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1079

POT GROWERS A RISK ON NATIONAL FORESTS

WILLOWS - Nearly half a million illegal marijuana plants were seized 
on the Mendocino National Forest last year and the prime growing 
period is now under way, prompting national forest officials to 
advise the public to be especially vigilant when visiting the forest.

"We want the public to be aware that this is going on and know what 
to do if they encounter marijuana gardens on the forest," Tom 
Contreras, Forest Supervisor, said. Illegal marijuana growing is an 
increasing problem on public lands in California.

National Forest System lands are becoming increasingly used for 
growing and harvesting illegal marijuana gardens and these operations 
can potentially present a safety hazard to forest visitors and employees.

Most of the marijuana gardens are in very remote locations. The 
national forest has vast and mostly uninhabited lands with many areas 
of rich, fertile soil and a climate that provides the necessary 
conditions for growing marijuana.

Plants are put into the ground between May and June and harvested in 
late September through November.

"If a private citizen comes upon something suspicious, don't enter 
the area; just leave and notify local law enforcement authorities 
immediately," Dennis Cullen, Forest Service Law Enforcement Patrol 
Captain, advised. "Do not enter any garden area."

In 2006 the MNF law enforcement team spent over 300 days eradicating 
405,399 marijuana plants from 55 illegal marijuana sites on the 
Mendocino National Forest. More marijuana was taken by this team than 
any other group in the Forest Service in 2006.

In addition to the criminal nature of the marijuana gardens, there is 
substantial environmental degradation caused by the illegal growers.

Herbicides and pesticides used to remove competing vegetation and 
gnawing rodents (which are a food source for the northern spotted 
owls), human waste and garbage, all end up in rivers after winter rains.

Also, the irrigation systems lower water in small streams needed by 
fish, and compacts the soil in the gardens, leading to erosion.

The typical marijuana garden has changed from the late 1980s and 
early 1990s. During that time the typical operation had 100 to 1,000 plants.

These days, operations are far larger, ranging in size from 1,000 to 
30,000 plants, or more. The larger growing operations often have 
armed individuals tending the gardens, Cullen said.

"Most of the increase can be attributed to the proliferation of 
foreign Drug Trafficking Organizations," Cullen said.

Forest Service law enforcement officers work with County Sheriff's 
Departments, and Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) teams. 
Headed by the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, 
CAMP teams were created in 1983 for the primary purpose of 
eradicating illegal marijuana from public lands in California.

Growers can live in the Forest near these sites for months at a time. 
Officers have come across camps with exercise facilities, tree 
houses, barbed wire fences and numerous firearms, Cullen said.

These camps often contain cooking and sleeping areas which are within 
view of the cultivation site. Some camps have tents, hammocks and 
sleeping bags on the ground and have been found with large 
overhanging tarps as cover for the entire campsite.

There are some things to watch for which may indicate marijuana is 
being grown in an area.

They can include:

* Isolated tents in the forest where no recreational activity is present.

* The utilization of trailers with no evidence of recreational activities.

* A pattern of vehicular traffic or a particular vehicle seen in the 
same isolated area on a regular basis.

* Unusual structures located in remote forested areas, with buckets, 
garden tools, fertilizer bags, etc.

* Signs of cultivation or soil disturbance in unlikely areas.

* Black piping and trash scattered in forested areas.

For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities 
of a suspected garden area in the Mendocino National Forest, persons 
can contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at (530) 934-3316.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman