cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Crops Also Bad for Environment





Marijuana Crops Also Bad for Environment
Posted by CN Staff on August 06, 2007 at 05:56:48 PT
By Alex Breitler, Record Staff Writer
Source: Stockton Record
California -- Come September, marijuana growers who have labored for five months in some of California's most remote country will abandon their secret gardens, taking their multimillion-dollar crops.What will they leave behind? Irrigation tubes that snake for a mile or more over forested ridges. Pesticides that have drained into creeks and entered the food chain, sickening wildlife. Piles of trash and human waste in the most rugged and bucolic drainages.
The environmental consequences of marijuana gardens - or plantations, as they're more aptly called - are increasingly apparent as law enforcement continues its statewide crackdown on the illicit operations."They basically trash our public lands," said Matt Mathes, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service in Vallejo. Officials in Calaveras County so far have eradicated 26,000 plants in raids on pot gardens in the back country.The finds in Calaveras are merely the latest of many; a multi-agency campaign counted a record 1.67 million plants seized in California in 2006, half a million more than the year before.There's not enough money to thoroughly rehabilitate many of these sites, Mathes said. At Sequoia National Park, officials estimate it costs $11,000 per acre to fix the damage.The trash goes first, packed out sometimes by National Guard helicopters or hotshot firefighters once fire season is over. Restoring native plants and fixing soil erosion problems are longer-term issues which, officials say, are sometimes never addressed."Unfortunately, we really can't clean up all those sites like we would like to," said Ross Butler, assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Land Management's Sacramento office."We go in, we get the weed," Butler said. "Everything else just kind of ends up staying behind."Pot is especially a problem in foothill counties such as Calaveras, he said. Gardens as large as 4 or 5 acres are cultivated year after year, and by the time officials find them, the environmental damage is done.Empty cans, egg containers, food wrappers, gas cylinders, dirty magazines and lean-tos are left behind.And then there's the makeshift pit toilets, the smell of which sometimes tips off the cops that they're close to stumbling upon a plantation."It's just a huge mess," Butler said.Another concern revolves around endangered species. Pesticides are used to keep rodents out of the marijuana; those rodents, including wood rats, are a primary food source for the California spotted owl.At Whiskeytown National Recreation Area near Redding, park rangers investigating a tadpole die-off in a creek wandered upstream and found a small dam in which someone had rigged an open can of fertilizer. According to testimony later delivered before Congress, rangers crawled on their bellies up steep slopes and found marijuana gardens perched atop cliffs.Supporters of legalizing marijuana say the environmental destruction that accompanies these hidden gardens would not occur if pot was treated like any legal agricultural product."There is a reason you never hear of anyone planting clandestine vineyards in the national parks," said Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in San Francisco. "Marijuana can be grown safely in an environmentally responsible way, or it can be grown dangerously."Note: Toxic poisons, waste foul public lands.Source: Record, The (Stockton, CA)Author: Alex Breitler, Record Staff WriterPublished: August 6, 2007 Copyright: 2007 The RecordContact: editor recordnet.comWebsite: http://www.recordnet.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on August 08, 2007 at 13:56:16 PT
Dankhank
You're welcome. That has to be one of my all time favorites too.
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Comment #38 posted by Dankhank on August 08, 2007 at 13:52:28 PT
teach ...
I have loved that song since I first heard it, and listen to it regularly.Thanx
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on August 08, 2007 at 13:20:16 PT
Dankhank
That is such a wonderful post you made. That is what life is all about. Making memories.Here's a song I love and it helps me to know that the future will be what we teach them it should be. Teach your children wellTheir father's hell did slowly go byAnd feed them on your dreamsThe one they pick's the one you'll know byDon't you ever ask them whyIf they told you, you would crySo just look at them and sighAnd know they love youhttp://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/teachyou.htm
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Comment #36 posted by whig on August 08, 2007 at 13:13:39 PT
museman #29
As Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
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Comment #35 posted by Dankhank on August 08, 2007 at 11:31:27 PT
alas ...
Would that I could generate comments of such clarity, brevity and compassion regularly.I confess a certain despondency based on a close encounter with one of those 27% of people that still think republicans can do no wrong, and if they do, it's OK since Democrats would have done the same.I don't see Clyde very often, but he is the other grandpa of our granddaughter in Montana.I can't have a normal conversation with him, so I have written him a letter and will mail it this week. It's a two page missive that basically asks, "Can we have a real exchange?"On a positive note, we here at the OK homestead have returned from a very nice trip from OK to Denver, to Missoula, Kalispell and Bozeman, back to Denver and then home.Along the way we treated our OK granddaughters and ourselves to Old Faithful, Grand Tetons, the "Museum of the Rockies" where we saw a planetarium show on the dinosaurs, a western exhibit and the "King Tut" exhibit and the "Kids Fest" in Missoula, and a dip in Flathead Lake which is the largest fresh-water lake west of the Mississippi. It's huge.Our granddaughter, Ayla Isis Luna Wingnut Baca, is six, energetic, willful and way too smart for her age. It's scary to see what can result from a life with few arbitrary limits, much love and support. She is a force and will do great things. Interestingly enough ... she has never eaten meat. I'm not sure I could revert to such, but being brought up that way seems to make it more possible. It's fascinating to see.So thanks again, all, it IS possible to gain strength from here.Peace to all the champions of truth and justice.http://distinctlymontana.com/index.aspx/issues/Spring2007/reside/Museum_of_the_Rockies
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Comment #34 posted by museman on August 08, 2007 at 11:08:29 PT
Had Enough
I have to agree that the Civil War was a major turning point. I studied that war from my early youth -I was very intrigued by the underdog aspects of the Confederacy, and since I was born in one of the 'slave states' I looked upon myself (as a youth) as a confederate, and collected memorabelia. Used to have quite a collection of original confederate money.As my study of history got more sophisticated, I realized that the real reasons and motivations behind that second revolutionary war (that the people lost) were not even what the textbooks claimed.The racism aspects that developed afterwards helped to obscure the truth by distraction, and to this day many black folks hate whites because of what happened to their ancestors, and many whites hate blacks because of what happened to the 'glory of the south.' While the real crime and motivations -money and power- got away with it, kinda like now.Wrote a song about it years ago, called; 
"Dead White and Blue"
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Comment #33 posted by Had Enough on August 08, 2007 at 03:04:07 PT
‘company store’
Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tonshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_gTxSlDydAJohnny Cash - Sixteen Tonshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boXa8c6OuRQ&mode=related&search=
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Comment #32 posted by Had Enough on August 08, 2007 at 02:45:11 PT
contrived imbalance
“"alas, where is our champion of truth and justice .....?"
 Look in the mirror. If we are not our own champions, at least in some ways, then there is no such thing as 'all men are created equal.' And if there is no such thing, it is a contrived imbalance.”Outstanding…….Thanks museman, for keeping the public informed.
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Comment #31 posted by Had Enough on August 08, 2007 at 02:43:00 PT
Forces
For every force, isn’t there an equal opposite? I’m thinin’ Newtons 3rd law.I have to agree with museman about things being the same for thousands of years. I see that too. At the same time I’m glad Sam Adams brought up the Civil War. There was a lot more to that war than what meets the eye. It was definitely a turning point. Slavery was the issue, but what was it really all about. When the war was ‘over’ slavery turned into poverty. Same thing different name, only no ‘official’ ownership papers for humans.Enter the ‘company store’Look at what the modern day ‘company store’ looks like. Insurance payments, tax payments, overpriced energy bills, not to mention rent, or, mortgage. If there is any left over you might be able to go to the local grocery store.Like Sam says, the early 1900’s seem about when the oil tycoons took over the politicians. They made Hemp illegal so they could profit from oil. And look what they have done since. People in jail for watering plants, while others get yearly million dollar bonuses, like oil CEO’s, and some people get to go off to conduct war over it.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 19:27:43 PT
whig
She was quite a lady. I saw the movie A Hiding Place and saw her on a few programs many years ago. She really impressed me. If only the world was full of Corrie ten Booms what a wonderful world it would be.
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Comment #29 posted by museman on August 07, 2007 at 19:27:09 PT
Dank
"alas, where is our champion of truth and justice .....?"Look in the mirror. If we are not our own champions, at least in some ways, then there is no such thing as 'all men are created equal.' And if there is no such thing, it is a contrived imbalance.
 
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Comment #28 posted by whig on August 07, 2007 at 18:32:53 PT
Corrie ten Boom
Wikipedia entry:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 14:28:15 PT
Dankhank
Thank you. I don't think there is a person that is really 100 percent concerned about truth and justice. They all have an agenda. That's why ordinary people are more important then those in power. I just thought of a person who really cared about Truth and Justice and her name was Corrie ten Boom.http://www.corrietenboom.com/
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Comment #26 posted by Dankhank on August 07, 2007 at 14:19:07 PT
FoM
good point ...those people, though, survive at the whim of governments ...alas, where is our champion of truth and justice .....?
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 12:39:04 PT
Dankhank
I think that good forces names are not really important in history. Good forces are people who kept their values in order and used them to help people. As long as good people care, bad people will be held back at least a little. 
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Comment #24 posted by Dankhank on August 07, 2007 at 12:30:41 PT
What's a .....
good force?  Can you name 1 or 6 ...?
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Comment #23 posted by museman on August 07, 2007 at 11:32:40 PT
whig
Thank YHWH!!!!
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 06:45:54 PT
Just a Note
I guess this is going to be a very slow time for any important news for a while. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I'll keep looking but all I see is a little news about what is going on in California. Have a great day everyone.
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Comment #21 posted by whig on August 07, 2007 at 02:35:30 PT
museman
You know there have been good forces throughout history too.
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Comment #20 posted by museman on August 07, 2007 at 00:53:47 PT
Sam#8
A real good case can be made for the 'beginning' of 'their' power in about 1769 give or take a few months. "How deep down the rabbit hole do you want to go?"I make it out to be somewhere around the beginning of the Sumerian Empire, give or take a few hundred years.Nothing has changed economically, politically, or socially -relatively speaking- for thousands of years.However, since the biological throwback was put into office by subterfuge, scam, extreme money exchange, and some misguided people who actually voted for him, 'things just ain't been the same.' These guys are just dastards, pure and simple. 
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on August 06, 2007 at 20:19:56 PT
RevRayGreen
That's ok. Thinking along the same lines is a good thing. The more the merrier.
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Comment #18 posted by RevRayGreen on August 06, 2007 at 20:14:28 PT
11 Minutes FoM (my bad)
While I was in the middle of my lame attempt to try and post the story, you already did. :)
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Comment #17 posted by RevRayGreen on August 06, 2007 at 19:41:37 PT
Marijuana Dealers Offer Schwarzenegger One Billion
As California faces a $1 billion budget shortfall, the marijuana industry offers a commonsense solution to the state's fiscal problems:August 6 -- A coalition of California marijuana growers and dealers has
offered Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger one billion dollars to solve the
current state budget crisis. The group, calling itself Let Us Pay Taxes
makes the offer through its web site LetUsPayTaxes.com. The offer comes at a
time when the California legislature is deadlocked on a new budget and
California has stopped issuing checks for vitally needed social services.
Legislators are currently arguing over which programs will be cut in order
to balance the budget."
1 Billion Dollar off to Arnie
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on August 06, 2007 at 19:30:51 PT
News from Stop The Drug War
Marijuana Dealers Offer Schwarzenegger One Billion Dollarshttp://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_blog/2007/aug/06/marijuana_dealers_offer_schwarze
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Comment #15 posted by mayan on August 06, 2007 at 17:11:23 PT
Misc.
Gary Storck: On Medical Marijuana, Giuliani Not Willing to Let States Decide:
http://www.hightimes.com/ht/news/content.php?bid=1342&aid=24Thanks, Gary!Hemp considered an option for biodegradable sandbags:
http://tinyurl.com/2hgus9THE WAY OUT...Bush Junta Complicity in 9/11:
http://www.hermes-press.com/unthinkable.htm
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Comment #14 posted by The GCW on August 06, 2007 at 15:41:41 PT
Bull's-eye title:
the Stockton Record could more accurately title the story, Marijuana Prohibition Also Bad for Environment
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Comment #13 posted by The GCW on August 06, 2007 at 15:35:19 PT
A Hunting License?
US CA: LTE: Where Can You Get Hunting License For Illegal Pot Growershttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n934/a07.html?397Pubdate: Mon, 06 Aug 2007Source: Red Bluff Daily News (CA)WHERE CAN YOU GET HUNTING LICENSE FOR ILLEGAL POT GROWERS? Editor: Your illegal marijuana garden poll has brought some questions to mind. With 26.92 percent voting to "make it legal to hunt marijuana growers," will there be a special season? Where can a license be purchased? If I get one, how do I cook him? Linda L. Richards, Cottonwood 
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Comment #12 posted by Richard Zuckerman on August 06, 2007 at 14:52:05 PT:
WWW.RONPAULSTUFF.COM MERCHANDISE RECEIVED TODAY!
Today, I visited the local UPS customer service office and picked up my order from www.RonPaulStuff.com, consisting of a short sleeve shirt with Ron Paul's excellent voting record, and 10 bumper stickers. I immediately placed a bumper sticker on every side of my new car, for all to see, proud of it, too!!!! www.RonPaul2008.com. I wonder why ABC erased our votes for Ron Paul of their Poll?Richard Paul Zuckerman, P.O. Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159.
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Comment #11 posted by Storm Crow on August 06, 2007 at 14:46:57 PT
Lean-to
Basically like a one sided pup tent- you know, the ones that were like a triangular prism. They are often made in survival situations. A rope between two trees and a tarp going off to one side, cover with branches and you've got a well hidden place to sleep. A fire is usually built by the open side.
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Comment #10 posted by RevRayGreen on August 06, 2007 at 14:27:01 PT
dirty magazines
"Empty cans, egg containers, food wrappers, gas cylinders, dirty magazines and lean-tos are left behind."just terrible,disgusting.....what's a lean-tos ?
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Comment #9 posted by NikoKun on August 06, 2007 at 14:09:22 PT
False Causation Anyone?
This environmental problem wouldn't even be there, if Marijuana was legal.At least they could grow it in legitimate places then... -_-
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Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on August 06, 2007 at 12:39:44 PT
power
museman, great comments, but I think you've got the date wrong for when "they" came to power. The current petro/national security state came into power the day after Pearl Harbor, and they're still going strong. Or, to be more precise, Big Oil took over in the early 1900's, the national security state component really kicked in during WWII.One could also make the case for the Civil War as the point where the US government's primary purpose became a vehicle to enrich certain people on the backs of everyone else. Instead of the minimalist organization it had represented for the prior 100 years. 
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Comment #7 posted by museman on August 06, 2007 at 11:23:40 PT
double standards at work
"We go in, we get the weed," Butler said. "Everything else just kind of ends up staying behind."So, they are willing to go in, like cops always do, and tear up everything in their wake. Charge American taxpayers extra money for the 'work' even though the pot warriors are already getting their wages whether they sit on their asses, bust teenagers, or do the weed gravy train.They will 'get the weed' but just whine about a little trash, -which isn't in their job descriptions- they can trash, they just don't get paid to pick up their own mess, let alone someone elses garbage.The BLM and the DEA think nothing of spraying defoliants, closely related to agent orange, and herbicides. They have been lighting slash fires for years using 8 mil black plastic, which as everyone knows burns as clean as any other plastic.The fact that the lumber companies have TRASHED 80% of our national forest land, and gotten subsidy from the feds for about 150 years, certainly doesn't figure in to modern equations of who is trashing what.Of course, the funny thing about these 'new' grows, apparently they are all done by illegal mexicans (so they say) but none have yet been convicted, or even arrested.
I suspect it's the same group, funded by the DEA, that is doing it year after year.It's the tactic of the New World Order; dress up like Arabs and burn down your house, then draft your children to go fight in some war of aquisition, or in this case create a special unit of mexican guerilla pot growers (what poor mexican wouldn't jump at the chance?) and keep letting them 'get away' for the next year. I mean if these guys (the mexicans) were actually doing it themselves, their 'bosses' would have to cut their losses at some point, and frankly I don't see how growing pot in No. California is somehow better acclimated than Mexico, which has grown some fine smoke over the years.I know a few of the native growers in that area that have been at it a long time, and they are very careful about leaving 'footprints' that can be viewed from the air, and on the ground. A drip-line with water in it can be seen from space (or aircraft) with infra-red. Smoke from fires is a no-no, and trash that has a different color scheme than nature (most paper and plastic packaging) is easily noticed.Of course not every grower is environmentally conscious, but over all I would be willing to bet that if you gave a random calif pot grower, and a random DEA officer tools of environmental destruction, the DEA officer would accomplish the most destruction in the least amount of time.How much longer are we going to have to suffer these fools to be in power? Lets see, Hitler came to power in '33, and was defeated in '45. That's 12 years it took for the world to realize a monster was loose and deal with it. Bush came to power in 2000. There is no America to save the day now, because America has become the monster.
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on August 06, 2007 at 10:34:04 PT
Mayan
We should take that news as a compliment - now that some good American folks are running the opium operations, efficiency is up!
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on August 06, 2007 at 10:04:15 PT
MPP and WEEDS
LAist Interview: Jenji Kohan, Creator of Weedshttp://laist.com/2007/08/06/laist_interview_24.php***Leading Marijuana Reformer Available for Interviews — Willie Nelson Benefit Fridayhttp://www.mpp.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=glKZLeMQIsG&b=1157875&ct=4241149
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Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on August 06, 2007 at 09:49:04 PT
no water in Baghdad
I would venture a guess that the bombing in Baghdad and Iraq has done more than 11,000 dollars per acre damage to the land in Iraq. The clean up is going to take years, if not decades.If you don't want marijuana growers in the hinterlands of California, then legalize the stuff.Purdy simple solution. The action that is truly necessary.There is probably a good crop of cannabis coming to market by the end of October. The distribution system is in place, has been for years, so it really isn't a problem of selling the cannabis to those who choose to smoke it. The deal is done.Act or react. 
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Comment #3 posted by dongenero on August 06, 2007 at 08:47:32 PT
legalization?
This article makes a great argument for legalization.
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Comment #2 posted by smoknjoe on August 06, 2007 at 07:46:29 PT:
crops
drug dealers love the drug wars. it's how they make a living just like the DEA.
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on August 06, 2007 at 06:02:02 PT
Success
The narco-terrorists in the U.S. and British governments have truly outdone themselves...Another record poppy crop in Afghanistan: 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_afghanistanThey will soon see that the heroin will hit the streets of Europe and America. The only people who support the drug war are either extremely ignorant or drug dealers themselves. 
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