October 1, 2006

Willows, California - A hunter reported being shot at on Saturday, September 30, while hunting in a remote area near Pinto Ridge (better known as Telephone Camp area off Forest Highway 7) on the Mendocino National Forest within Mendocino County. The hunter said he had stumbled into the edge of a marijuana garden and that four male subjects pointed rifles in his direction and began firing. He was able to escape without injury.

This report was closely followed by another hunter reporting discovery of PVC water line on neighboring Hokey Pokey Ridge in Glenn County. He left the area and reported what he saw to law enforcement officials. No suspects have been apprehended nor arrests been made in either incident.

The Forest Service is working with both counties to deal with known and suspected marijuana gardens in these and other areas on the Mendocino National Forest. Forest Supervisor Thomas A. Contreras urges the public to use caution when recreating on the national forest.

"This is a particular concern now since deer hunting is underway and the Mendocino National Forest is a very popular hunting location," Mr. Contreras said. At this time, he advises that hunters avoid the Pinto Ridge and Hokey Pokey Ridge areas until authorities have been able to deal with the illegal cultivation activities in those areas.

Illegal marijuana growing is an increasing problem on public lands in California. National Forest land is becoming increasingly popular for growing and harvesting illegal marijuana gardens and these operations can potentially present a safety hazard to forest visitors and employees.

In addition to the criminal nature of the marijuana gardens, there is substantial environmental degradation caused by the illegal growers. Excessive use of herbicides and pesticides to remove competing vegetation and gnawing rodents (which are a food source for the northern spotted owls), human waste and garbage, all end up in rivers after winter rains. Also, the irrigation systems dewater small streams needed by fish, and the compacting of the soil in the gardens leads to erosion.

So far this year, law enforcement officials have eradicated 340,000 marijuana plants from the Mendocino National Forest. All of these were illegal drug traffic organization gardens. Law enforcement officials expect to confiscate many more plants by the end of the harvest season. Last year a total of 124,792 plants were eradicated from the Mendocino National Forest during the entire season.

"If a private citizen comes upon something suspicious, don't enter the area just leave and notify local law enforcement authorities immediately," Diane Welton, Mendocino and Plumas National Forests Patrol Captain, advised. "Do not enter any garden area."

The typical marijuana garden has changed from the late 1980s and early 90s. During that time the typical operation had 100 to 1,000 plants. These days, operations are far larger, ranging in size from 1,000 to 30,000 plants, or more. The larger growing operations often have armed individuals tending the gardens, Welton said.

Forest Service law enforcement officers work with County Sheriff's Departments, and Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) teams. Headed by the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, CAMP teams were created in 1983 for the primary purpose of eradicating illegal marijuana from public lands in California.

Officers have come across camps with exercise facilities, tree houses, barbed wire fences and numerous firearms, Welton said. Growers can live in the Forest near these sites for months at a time. These camps often contain cooking and sleeping areas which are within view of the cultivation site. Some camps have tents, hammocks and sleeping bags on the ground and have been found with large overhanging tarps as cover for the entire campsite.

There are some things to watch for which may indicate marijuana is being grown in an 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 forested 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.

For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities of a suspected garden area in the Mendocino National Forest, persons can contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at (530) 934-3316.