Pubdate: Tue, 7 Oct 2008
Source: Bakersfield Californian, The (CA)
Copyright: 2008 The Bakersfield Californian
Contact:  http://www.bakersfield.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/36
Author: Maggie Creamer, Californian staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Marijuana - California)

POT GARDENS AN 'ECOLOGICAL DISASTER'

Sequoia National Forest -- About five minutes after arriving at the 
marijuana garden, the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew was already 
separating pesticides, taking down a tent, rolling hundreds of feet 
of irrigation hose and putting into trash bags the fresh eggs, 
coffee, cooking oil and Pringles scattered on a table made out of 
tree branches and cardboard.

Their job: work with federal agencies to restore this part of the 
Sequoia National Forest as closely as possible to its natural condition.

The site was discovered two days before. They jump on cleanups 
quickly because these sites pose all kinds of risks to people and 
nature -- and they don't want the growers to come back.

"Ecosystems damaged could take decades to repair," said John Heil, 
spokesman for the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest 
Service. "It's pretty much an ecological disaster."

The Messes Made

Marijuana growers make all kinds of environmental messes.

They often divert streams to provide a constant flow of water to 
their crops. Hume Lake District Ranger John Exline has seen 
irrigation systems miles from the actual water source.

Streams can dry up; flooding can increase when growers dam a stream. 
Soil erosion caused by brush, bushes and trees being removed from 
sites is also a problem.

Pesticides and fertilizers, some brought illegally from Mexico, can 
pollute creeks and groundwater, killing fish and harming animals or 
people who drink it.

"You can't take a pesticide out of a creek or out of a bear's belly," 
said Athena Demetry, a park restoration ecologist.

Animals can also be injured or killed by traps growers set to keep 
them from eating their crops. Animals sometimes eat fertilizers, too.

Shane Krogen, founder and director of the High Sierra group, said 
some fertilizers have a chemical that thins blood in deer.

Another main concern is the safety of federal employees, hunters or 
hikers who might stumble upon a marijuana farm.

Growers have shot people, so armed U.S. Park Police or other security 
agents accompany federal agents when they first enter a site and 
during restoration.

Exline said it's not so much a question of whether someone will get 
hurt by a grower, but when.

"It's a cash crop, and it's like gold," he said. "They are going to 
protect their crop."

Forest fires can also be fueled by pesticides, plastics and propane 
tanks left by growers. Marijuana gardens can also slow firefighting 
efforts if there are armed growers in the area, Heil said.

Tuesday's Bust

Authorities discovered two gardens and two campsites less than a 
quarter mile apart in Sequoia National Forest east of Visalia 
Tuesday. The site had 3,744 plants, which were immediately removed.

The gardens had an irrigation system with a spigot connected to rows 
of black hose weaved between mounds of dirt.

As cleanup crews bagged all the trash, they found bottles of 
pesticides, fertilizers and rodent poison. They also found propane 
tanks, a shotgun and a .22 caliber rifle.

While searching through trash, California Department of Fish and Game 
warden Patrick Foy held up an unmarked, bent-out-of-shape metal can. 
He said a bear probably ate the food and could have cut its paws or 
gums in the process.

The site is relatively small, said Exline. Authorities also found 
another garden with 22,619 plants about a mile east.

Authorities arrested one suspect but believed three to four others 
could have been living at the camp near Balch Park. The two gardens 
were close to Pine Creek.

Foy quoted the suspect arrested as saying the marijuana garden had 
been there for three years. He estimated the growers were there for 
about four months this year and already harvested one crop.

Resources Deployed

The federal agency responsible for the land usually does the cleanup, 
which can require a helicopter to haul away trash and several 
security personnel.

It costs the Forest Service $3,000 to $4,000 per acre for a basic 
cleanup, Heil said. Sometimes cleanup takes several days, and if the 
damage is so extensive the Forest Service has to replant or reroute a 
stream back to its original flow, it can cost $11,000 an acre, he said.

About 1.7 million pot plants were taken out of California's national 
forests last year, with 283,248 coming from Sequoia National Forest 
and the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The Forest Service has 20 
special agents throughout California to find the grow sites, 
including three in the Sequoia area, Heil said.

The Forest Service focuses on restoration of severely damaged areas, 
but some of the smaller sites sometimes do not get fully cleaned up 
because of a lack of funding and personnel.

Exline said it is unique to have a group, like the High Sierra 
volunteers, offer to clean the area. Krogen said it is important to 
help federal agencies that are understaffed and underfunded.

"This is America. This is our country," he said. "If we wait for 
federal agencies to figure it out how to do this, it's just not going 
to happen." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake