Thanks to Bob Berwyn for this one and the nice fall photo, here’s the link:
FRISCO —Colorado’s legalization of marijuana may mark a new era on the state level, but some things haven’t changed. Each year, profiteering outlaws try to use public lands to grow and harvest marijuana, which remains illegal under federal laws.
This week, law enforcement officers with the U.S. Forest Service eradicated a major pot farm on national forest lands near Ruedi Reservoir after it was reported to the Forest Service by the public. After uprooting more than 2,600 mature plants, Forest Service officials estimated the value of the plants about $6 to $8 million based on the average value of $2,500 per pound.
Since 2009, 34 illegal marijuana grow sites and more than 65,000 marijuana plants have been eradicated from national forests in Colorado, but the agency emphasized that most national forest lands are safe and free of illegal marijuana activities.
Each plant is estimated to yield 1 pound of processed material. Crews removed the marijuana plants, dismantled the irrigation system and removed items left in a make-shift camp. The marijuana plants were pulled up and removed from the area. No arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation.
In my entire career, I’ve seen just one tiny plant, in 25 years. We were sitting in a nice lunch spot, along a creek, and someone asked if that little plant was marijuana. It was a thumb-sized bud, as it was fall. I pinched it, and sniffed my fingers, verifying that it was, indeed, marijuana. One crew member claimed BS but, I invited him to smell it and he recoiled, appearing to be afraid of the pungent aroma. Us older crewmembers got a chuckle out of his reaction.
I wouldn’t want to stumble into a patch, though. Training sessions told us about those hazards, and what we should do if it happens.