Tourists at CA park rerouted due to pot garden - funds increased to battle pot growing

[The Straight Story]

Tourists at Calif. park rerouted due to pot garden

By GARANCE BURKE (AP) – 2 days ago

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — A section of this Sierra Nevada national park was closed to visitors Thursday while rangers helicoptered in to destroy a sizable marijuana growing operation just a half-mile away from a crystal-filled cave popular with tourists.

Authorities said the proximity of the pot plants to such a heavily trafficked tourist site was unusual and reflects a newfound boldness among growers, who are now planting marijuana near trails and access roads at an increasing number of parks.

"We've really seen an expansion of the types of sites where people are growing marijuana," said Scott Wanek, chief ranger for the Pacific West region of the National Park Service. "There are some that are very close to trails and much closer to where visitors are."

The National Park Service received an additional $3.3 million this year to combat marijuana growers across the nation, said Jeff Olson, a spokesman for the park service. Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Redwood national parks in California and North Cascades National Park in Washington are receiving funding. Santa Monica Mountains and Whiskeytown national recreation areas and Point Reyes National Seashore, all in California, are the other recipients.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gr8hZHJHlcTail5Nb3Q3Xsaa2Y5wD9ABKQS80

[msongs]

1. if ppl could grow their own legally all this fraud war on drugs could stop NOW nt

[blondeatlast]

2. It wasn't for pot but the same thing happened to me in Yellowstone a few weeks ago.

And I say good for the Park Service; there should be no non-native plants growing anywhere in National Parks.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

3. No money for teachers and the homeless and sick,

plenty of additional money to wage war against marijuana. How f'd up is that? :argh:

[Turbineguy]

4. But...

don't dope dealers pay taxes too?:sarcasm:

[blondeatlast]

7. That's not what this is about. The Park Service wants NO non-native plants in the parks. They affect

the ecology. See my post above about Yellowstone.

[-..__...]

5. Growers have been known to place boobytraps in their fields.

Didn't see it mentioned in the article, but there should be some concern about that possibility (especially if the crops are close to popular tourist areas).

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I was going to say we avoid these fields here for the same reason

We come across them when we go camping or canoeing and because of the booby traps, we walk away from pot fields.

[dysfunctional press]

6. they sound like lazy amateur growers...

it would be silly to try and grow the stuff that close to trails or tourist spots, as the smell would be quite obvious, and give it away.

[KamaAina]

9. Wonder what's gonna happen when all those California state parks close?

:smoke: