Illegal cannabis farms hidden inside California forests harm nearby wildlife, ecosystems and watersheds. But with little being done at the federal and state levels to clean up these sites fast enough, ecologists are sounding the alarm about the pollution the farms wreak on the state’s public lands.
As CalMatters’ Rachel Becker explains, the nonprofit Integral Ecology Research Center has tallied nearly 7,000 abandoned grow sites on California’s public lands. In addition to the trash that growers leave behind, pollutants from these sites leach into the soil and nearby streams, the center’s co-founders and the U.S. Geological Survey said. Excess nutrients from fertilizers disrupt ecosystems and spur algae blooms, and poisonous pesticides can kill wildlife, according to the co-founders.
The grow sites are spread across state-, federal- and privately-managed lands. But the U.S. Forest Service said it doesn’t have enough funds or staff to handle cleanup. Under President Donald Trump, roughly 5,000 non-fire employees have also been “either offboarded or are in the process of doing so” through “multiple voluntary separation programs,” according to an agency spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a policy to clean up all grows in the 1.1 million acres under its jurisdiction. Fees and taxes on California’s legalized cannabis market help pay for this endeavor, and the department has removed almost 350,000 pounds of trash and more than 920 pesticide containers in the past near decade.
Still, critics say progress isn’t happening fast enough, and the Integral Ecology Research Center has counted only 587 grow sites that have been at least partly cleaned up, out of 7,000 they tallied.
Greta Wengert, co-founder: “They’re just these little death bombs, waiting for any wildlife that is going to investigate.”
More environmental news: The administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed the U.S. and Mexico’s commitment to restoring the polluted Tijuana River, writes CalMatters’ Deborah Brennan.
Lee Zeldin detailed upcoming projects that would prevent millions of gallons of sewage from entering the river, during a meeting with local San Diego leaders and members of Congress on Thursday. He also said that while public health solutions aren’t part of the current funding package, he would be open to adding them if Congress sets aside money for it.
U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, a Carlsbad Democrat: “You wouldn’t know which party we all were part of based on our conversation. That’s unusual. It’s refreshing, but I think it’s also necessary to solve a problem of this magnitude.”