Pubdate: Sat, 19 Mar 2016
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Ukiah Daily Journal
Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback
Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581
Author: Adam Randall

MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFF TALKS 'MARIJUANA SAFETY FOR LOGGERS'

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman emphasized "marijuana safety for 
loggers," during one of many informational classes available to the 
timber industry in and out of the county during the 78th annual 
Redwood Region Logging Conference in Ukiah this week.

On Friday, Allman spoke on the dangers to loggers if they stumble 
upon illegal marijuana grows, which are frequently becoming trespass 
grows on private property, including timber lands.

Allman said most commonly, trespass growers are planting small 
100-plant gardens. But, he said, it's these illegal grows that are 
tapping resources of land owners and changing the environmental 
landscape, including water and soil. Allman said the biggest 
recommendation he could make to private land owners was to invest in 
a game, or wildlife camera, which is often attached to a tree and 
automatically takes photos when movements are detected.

"We're getting more prosecutions and more evidence on people who are 
pulling out gates and putting culverts into roads for illegal stream 
diversions, from game cameras, than any other type of evidence we 
have," Allman said.

He said some of the local timber operators have seen great success 
with game cameras when they were discovering that their gates had 
been driven through by someone who had keyed access, and had no idea 
who it was.

Gate access keys to timber property, when lost or misplaced, can be 
worth $10,000 to someone who wants to give that key away for illegal 
purposes, he said, and typically goes undetected.

Cell phone camera and video options also make for a good technique to 
quickly capture and download information than can be sent on to law 
enforcement, like the picture of a suspicious vehicle and license plate.

In 2011, Mendocino County joined other surrounding counties for 
Operation: Full Court Press, a large marijuana eradication effort in 
the Mendocino National Forest.

Allman said counties' Boards of Supervisors were getting many 
complaints from residents who said they couldn't enjoy the forest 
because there were too many marijuana growers out there.

He said during the three-week operation, law enforcement took away 
630,000 illegal marijuana plants, along with 42 tons of processed 
marijuana and pulled out close to 40 miles of black plastic pipe that 
was being used to divert water.

Though he said it was worth it, illegal growers have now moved onto 
private property and neighborhoods, including timber land.

"So the dynamics have switched," Allman said. "We're now seeing your 
fences torn down, your gates removed, and your employees being threatened."

On top of the technical advances like game cameras and cell phones, 
Allman recommended that timber owners and operators have as much 
contact with their local law enforcement agencies as possible, so 
they know what is going on. Allman also recommended that if timber 
employees see anything, not to try to cut down the marijuana 
themselves, but walk about 400 feet away and start capturing GPS 
coordinates, which could assist law enforcement in finding the perpetrator.

Typically when it comes to "booby traps," law enforcement doesn't 
come across many around grow sites, Allman said. But seeing things 
like fish hooks that might be lying across a forest trail or hearing 
gunshots could be indicators that you're getting close to a marijuana garden.

However, Allman said these types of traps are typically meant for 
animals and not humans. The fish hooks are to stop wildlife from 
getting closer, and the shooting is to scare animals into moving on 
to another area.

Another type of hazard for animals and potentially humans, is a type 
of poisonous "pink powder" that is sprinkled around a marijuana garden.

Allman said this illegal pink powder can't be found in America, and 
it's typically brought in from south of the border, and basically any 
animal that touches that, soaks it through its skin and later dies.

"It's basically for rats that walk across the threshold of the 
marijuana garden," Allman said.

These hazards, whether the gun fire or the pink powder, are why 
timber employees should avoid a marijuana garden, not try to cut down 
any of the plants themselves and let law enforcement handle the situation.

Butane honey oil operations, the process of heating concentrated THC 
oil out of marijuana plants, are also becoming more common.

Allman said on average, a pile of 200 empty butane canisters are left 
behind, which are often burned by the offender to minimize the amount 
of evidence being salvaged.

He said land owners should gather what's left and dispose of it at 
the dump before it is mistaken for a hazardous material dump site, 
and trouble for the land owner. The incident should still be reported 
to law enforcement, though, Allman said.

"Trying to stay one step ahead of them is a challenge," Allman said.
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