Pubdate: Thu, 08 Jul 2010
Source: Willits News (CA)
Copyright: 2010 Willits News
Contact:  http://www.willitsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4085
Author: Gary Owen
Note: Gary Owen is a Willits resident

THOUGHTS ON OUTLAW POT GARDENS

The new marijuana plants have hit the ground by now. The camps are set
up, the water lines are repaired and extended, and the crews are in
place for the season. And more damage is being done to our forests.

The fertilizers, pesticides, grow bags, and plastic pipe have been
streaming out of the various supply yards in overloaded trucks for the
last two months, headed for the lands we citizens collectively own.

On April 7, The Willits News published a commentary I had written
about the invasion of our public lands, particularly in the Mendocino
National Forest, by large-scale pot grows. I described the effort by a
small, volunteer environmental group to clean up the pollution, trash,
and destruction at a handful of these grow sites.

I then clipped out that article and sent copies to three prominent
public officials whose responsibility it is to protect the public's
interests: the MNF Supervisor Tom Contreras, Congressman Mike
Thompson, and county Supervisor John Pinches. I stated my intention to
write a follow-up article and asked each of them: 1) What are you
doing to prevent the installation of pot grows in the first place? 2)
What efforts are you spearheading to clean-up the damage that has
already been done?

I soon received a phone call from Supervisor Pinches. I received a
direct letter from Congressman Thompson. And, as soon as the article
was published, Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott
called to discuss the matter with me.

However, the man who has the most direct authority over the National
Forest, and the most ability to spearhead solutions, Mr. Contreras,
never has responded.

In order of the receipt of their responses, here's what they had to
say:

Ms. Lintott would like to see asset forfeiture funds used to pay for
cleanup. She would hope to use Chamberlain Creek and Parlin Fork
inmate crews to do the hard physical labor. She would like to see
judges sentence those convicted of marijuana crimes to do grow site
cleanup as required community service.

She pointed to the severely gutted county budget as precluding any
other efforts.

Mr. Pinches says the county is pretty much "doing all we can do right
now." He promised to keep as much funding as possible in the Sheriff's
Department.

He points out the county has to pay for the sheriff to enforce laws on
national forest land without any federal reimbursement.

He would like to see a return to heavy logging and cattle ranching on
public lands as a way of frightening the growers off.

He seemed critical the MNF makes its decisions way over in Willows and
hardly any rangers at all are put on the ground on our side of the
mountains. He notes the $1.6 million in available asset forfeiture
funds are not under the control of the board of supervisors.

Pinches believes legalization of marijuana is really the only thing
that will stop these outlaw grows on public land.

Mr. Thompson wrote that he has assembled various meetings of top-level
officials from the U.S. Forest Service; DEA; Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms; Homeland Security; the U.S. Attorney's office,
and local law enforcement to discuss "how to work together to combat
illicit activities on our public lands."

He states "more than 1,000 sites" have been identified for cleanup of
pot gardens in California forests alone.

He takes responsibility for securing over $15 million in federal funds
to address the problem on public lands, of which $10 million will
"fight the drug cartels responsible for the illegal grows" and $5.7
million will be left over for actual cleanup and restoration of
damage. (Apparently, this $15 million is for all federal lands
nationwide.) However, he estimates the cost of cleaning up even one
garden is about $20,000. (By this figure, over $20 million would be
necessary just to cleanup the 1,000 sites already identified in
California.)

Mr. Thompson also stressed his support for more "educational
campaigns," for an inventoried database of the previously-busted
gardens, for public agencies to partner more with private volunteer
groups (see note below), and for more funding and grants to assist the
county Sheriff's Department.

As the author of the Northern California Wilderness Act and as an avid
outdoorsman, he

is personally very distressed at the damage caused to one of the new
wilderness areas, where more than 7,000 plants were grown at just one
site.

It must be very difficult to be a public official these days, with
ever-shrinking budgets, a public that still demands a broad array
services, and railing taxpayers who seem to believe that almost all
domestic government is evil.

I am grateful these three elected officials took the time to share
their thoughts on the takeover of our public lands by outlaw growers.
Since all three are campaigning for reelection this fall, perhaps
their opponents can likewise offer some constructive ideas both on how
to prevent and how to fund the cleanup of these illicit gardens.

However, it is disappointing that the one official, MNF Supervisor
Contreras, within whose jurisdiction these activities actually are
occurring, had nothing to say.

There is increasing frustration on the part of those who love the
forest about the Forest Service's apparent helplessness against the
problem. Some discomforting speculation is circulating about why those
directly responsible for protecting public lands have let the
situation get so blatantly out of hand. In this respect, Mr.

Contreras missed an excellent opportunity to dispel these
suspicions.

And in the meantime, the damage and depredation to our public heritage
from the 2010 outlaw grows has been allowed to happen again out there
once again.

NOTE: The environmental organization which organized the cleanup
efforts in the MNF had received a small grant of non-USFS money from a
public Citizens' Advisory Committee.
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MAP posted-by: Matt