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Tuesday, 30 September 2008 |
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Register Staff
9-30-2008 Law enforcement officials have removed yet another illegal marijuana growing operation from public lands – the second in less than a month on the east side of the White Mountains.
Personnel from the Forest Service and Esmeralda County successfully eradicated nearly 13,000 pot plants last week that were growing in Middle Creek Canyon in the Boundary Peak Wilderness of the Inyo National Forest.
The garden was growing in rugged, steep country at 9,400 feet elevation.
According to Inyo National Forest Public Information Officer Nancy Upham, this was the highest elevation garden that these law enforcement officers had experienced in their 15 years of eradicating illegal gardens on public land.
Evidence suggests that the operation was linked to a Mexican drug trafficking organization, she reported via press release.
In addition to the removal of the plants, 1,000 pounds of trash was also removed from the garden with the help of “an excellent contract helicopter,” according to Upham. The whole operation was completed in one intense day of work and no injuries were incurred.
Upham noted that illegal marijuana growing is an increasing problem on public lands throughout the West. “National forest lands are becoming increasingly used for growing and harvesting illegal marijuana gardens; however this type of activity is new to the east side of the White Mountains, and to the Inyo National Forest in general,” the press release states.
The discovery of these gardens has prompted national forest officials to advise the public to be vigilant when visiting remote areas of the national forest. “Although we see absolutely no need for the public to stay away from any area of the Inyo National Forest, we do want people to be aware that this is going on and to know what to do if they encounter marijuana gardens on the forest,” said Special Agent Diana Nichols.
Most marijuana gardens are grown in very remote locations, and they are usually a distance away from areas that are frequented by the public. The Inyo National Forest is a vast, two million-acre national forest with many very remote and almost inaccessible areas. Irrigation systems can be easily set up from meandering stretches of the many creeks and streams. Plants are normally put into the ground between May and June and harvested in late September through November. The harvesting time for most marijuana gardens coincides with hunting season, and hunters are advised to be “heads up” in their travels through areas that are “off the beaten path.”
“If a forest visitor comes upon something suspicious, don’t enter the area; just leave and notify local law enforcement authorities immediately,” Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Rich Watt said. “Do not enter any garden area.”
While visiting and recreating in the national forest there are some things to watch for which may indicate marijuana is being grown in the 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 forest 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.
In addition to the criminal nature of the marijuana gardens, there is substantial environmental degradation caused by the illegal growers, Upham noted. Herbicides and pesticides used to remove competing vegetation and gnawing rodents, and human waste and garbage, all end up in streams after winter rains. Also, the irrigation systems can de-water small streams and compact soil in the gardens, leading to erosion.
For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities of a suspected garden area in the Inyo National Forest, contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at (760) 873-2520.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 October 2008 )
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