cannabisnews.com: Pot Plantations on Plateau Stir Concerns Pot Plantations on Plateau Stir Concerns Posted by FoM on November 19, 2001 at 09:07:47 PT By Henri Brickey, Staff Writer Source: North County Times Most people living in the homes sprouting in the foothills west of Murrieta had no idea that a complex marijuana plantation was growing in the hills behind their homes. Hidden under a canopy of chaparral, a multimillion-dollar marijuana plantation had been growing unknown until it was discovered last month by a hiker. The marijuana grove is the second one found this year on the Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve, according to Kevin Smith, the county parks ranger assigned to the 8,300-acre reserve west of Murrieta. Most of the reserve is off-limits to the public, which makes the remote sections of it secluded ---- perfect for someone looking to grow a marijuana crop, Smith said. "I've been thinking of ways to deal with this because it's one of the biggest problems we have right now," Smith said last week while holding a black irrigation line leading from a riverbed into a shaded grove where agents found about 5,000 marijuana plants last month. Sheriff's officials say the Santa Rosa Plateau is a hot spot for marijuana cultivation in Riverside County, and workers at the reserve are concerned about the negative effects the plantations have on the native plants and animals there. An Ongoing Problem Smith said he discovered his first marijuana grove on the reserve in 1992. That first site contained about 600 plants, he estimated. Since then, the crops have increased in size, which troubles Smith and other workers at the reserve. "I figure we've found about eight marijuana plantations since I've worked here," Smith said. "And there's probably more we never found." The latest grove, found last month, had an estimated 5,000 plants, which a helicopter had to airlift out. Some of the plants, which were at the end of their growing season, were 14 feet tall, Smith said. The growers usually begin their operations in the spring and then harvest in the fall. They tap into natural streams and run drip irrigation lines, sometimes for hundreds of yards, to hidden groves where the marijuana is grown, Smith said. Just getting to the most recently discovered grove involves an exhausting hike over boulders and through poison oak-infested brush. Most groves, like the one visited Thursday, use containers to grow the plants in until they're large enough to transplant into the ground. Hundreds of abandoned plastic potting containers are stashed along the trails connecting separate growing "rooms" under the branches of thick brush. Fertilizer packages, gardening tools and countless irrigation lines were all left behind by the growers. Rolls of chicken wire, used to keep animals from nibbling the young marijuana plants, are also discarded throughout the site. Hidden from the main growing chamber is the living room, where a tent, sleeping bags, pots and pans and virtually everything someone would need to live were all abandoned by the growers. A sack of potatoes, some onions and a package of tortillas were also left at the campsite. Everything there had to be hand-carried ----- most likely at night, according to Smith, who said the scale of the project proves the growers' determination. "They're definitely ambitious people," he said. And Smith worried that the growers may be equally determined to protect their crops if ever discovered, which is why he lets law enforcement officials take over at that point. Once he reports a marijuana grove, Smith's work is done and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department takes over. Members of Special Investigations Bureau that specialize in marijuana eradication are brought in to remove the plants. The team operates countywide, but one investigator says most of the marijuana is found in the hills west of Murrieta and Temecula. "That's where we're having a lot of problems," said a special investigator who asked that his name not be used because of his undercover work. "I can't say if it's because people are just reporting it more than before or if there is actually more being planted up there." This year, Riverside County's marijuana eradication team has confiscated more than 115,000 plants. Most marijuana plants being grown in Riverside County produce about a pound of pot, which is selling for roughly $4,000 to $5,000, according to the sheriff's office. At a value of $5,000 per plant, the marijuana grove recently found west of Murrieta could have grossed $25 million with the 5,000 pounds of pot that was grown there. Jose Martinez, a spokesman in the Los Angeles office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said last week that there is evidence linking Mexican drug cartels to the marijuana plantations in Southern California. Special agents have found weapons, mostly rifles, at several of the marijuana groves in Southwest County, and sheriff's officials advise people to stay away from any marijuana they might find accidentally. "It would be like coming upon any other illegal operation," the investigator said. "Hikers have been shot at in central and northern California." So far, there have been no incidents between the marijuana growers and anyone else, Smith said. Still, Smith said that in the past few years he began to feel uncomfortable venturing into remote areas of the reserve without a partner due to the chance of running into armed marijuana growers. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough staff to always have a buddy when we're in the field," Smith said. Environmental Damage Besides being illegal and potentially dangerous to the public, growing marijuana on the Santa Rosa Plateau causes devastating environmental damage, according to Carole Bell, the natural resource manager of the Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve. "The water they're taking for the marijuana serves as a habitat for aquatic species," Bell said. The reserve is an arid land throughout most of the year, and most of the animals there depend on water they can find in the few streams running through area. "It's the only source our wildlife has for water, and these people are using it on marijuana," Smith said. Fertilizer used by the marijuana growers is also a problem when it enters waterways. "It raises the nitrogen levels and actually kills species," Bell said. Then there are the miles of abandoned irrigation lines that the growers leave on the reserve, many of which continue to divert water long after the marijuana is harvested. Bell said something needs to be done to prevent further damage to the reserve, and she thinks some type of cooperative effort between reserve workers and law enforcement officials might help. "We need to find a way to stay ahead of these people and work together to coordinate a system," said Smith, who is working to set up a meeting with Sheriff's Department to discuss the problem. Source: North County Times (CA)Author: Henri BrickeyPublished: November 19, 2001Copyright: 2001 North County TimesContact: editor nctimes.comWebsite: http://www.nctimes.comRelated Articles:State Pot Farms on Movehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9967.shtmlMendocino County Law Enforcers Say http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8862.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by dddd on November 20, 2001 at 10:01:48 PT it's really ,,remarkably unbelievable.... ,,,when you consider Marijuana prohibition in America......but now there is a huge industry that exsists,and is dependent on maintaining the enforcement army,,,and ,,the war on drugs is now mutated,or mutating,into an integrated part of "the war on terror"........I hate to say it,,but I see this "war on terror" thing,kind of as if the war on drugs has been smothered,and made sort of insignificant,,,after alll,,,they really dont even need an excuse anymore,,,,all a cop needs to say,,,is he thought you may be involved with "terrorist activities",,and no one will be able to argue in your favor,,,,it dont matter what they find ,,or what they do,,,all they gotta say is "terrorist",,,,,andddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 20, 2001 at 09:42:29 PT Hi Dr Ganj It sure is good to see you! When articles quote figures like $5,000 a plant we know that is not true but it might make someone think they should get into trying to grow. Inflated figures don't help fight the drug war but they hurt their efforts because it isn't the truth. A good anti article would be pot growers can't give their pot away! People would stop growing then. Duh! Medical Marijuana Information Links [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Dr Ganj on November 20, 2001 at 09:33:18 PT More Inflated Figures "At a value of $5,000 per plant, the marijuana grove recently found west of Murrieta could have grossed $25 million with the 5,000 pounds of pot that was grown there." Oh, please. 5K a plant! How about telling the truth for once. Try around $1,000 a plant, and that's if they are lucky enough to avoid the wood rats.Let's stop the lies and legalize the plant, and start focusing our attention to really important matters.Dr. Ganj http://www.aclu.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by freedom fighter on November 19, 2001 at 10:37:24 PT 4 major crimes In the same newspaper, I counted 3 robberies and 1 kidnapping and rape. None of the perps were caught. Side effect of Prohibition, while the resource spent on pulling the weed, criminals go out rob, kidnap and rape with impunity. ff [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by p4me on November 19, 2001 at 09:26:00 PT: see what prohibition does Marijuana should be legal and individuals should be allowed to grow it. It is a concept held by my definition of freedom. If the paid off Congress would understand this then you would have all the water and no nitrogen in the water. I am still waiting for the article: "Marijuana Prohibition: It's the Money Stupid." It will be coming. I read where the Washington Post is abandoning its hard line. It may be that some journalist at the Washington Post has already typed the title and the article will come tomorrow. I hope so for us all. Thirty years of insanity has to stop and the sooner the better.Vote against all incumbents. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment