A Quick! Review of Anadromous Fish, Marijuana Growing, and the Watersheds At Risk

Transcription

1 The Impacts of Marijuana Activity on Fish (AFRP/Short Title) or Assessing the Effect of Marijuana Activity on the Biotic Integrity of Streams in Northern California A Quick! Review of Anadromous Fish, Marijuana Growing, and the Watersheds At Risk

2 THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF MARIJUANA CULTIVATION BACKGROUND: Chinook salmon populations have been severely reduced in the Sacramento-San Joaquin system during historical times. In addition, even though there is no estimate of what historic steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations might have been, the Central Valley Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) has been determined to be at risk of extinction. The Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) ESU is currently faced with three primary limiting factors and threats: (1) loss of most historic spawning habitat; (2) degradation of the remaining habitat; and (3) genetic threats from the Feather River Fish Hatchery (FRFH) spring-run Chinook salmon program (NMFS 2009). Locally, Tehama County is particularly known for illegal marijuana cultivation. In August 2010, law enforcement officials on the Lassen National Forest found 27 growing sites. These sites (harvested and burned by law enforcement) contained an estimated 98,000 plants, with a street value of nearly half a billion dollars.

3 BUT FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND ON MARIJUANA

4 TERMS Cannabis : Cannabis sativa, the scientific name of the plant. Marijuana : cannabis grown for its THC content. Hemp : cannabis with low levels of THC. THC: tetra-hydro-cannabinol, the pharmacologically active ingredient in marijuana is Grow (noun): an agricultural operation producing marijuana. 215 Grow claims to be producing medical marijuana, usually on private land. Cartel Grow - refers to suspected connection to an illegal drug trafficking organization. Trespass Grow without landowner permission, often on public land.

5 TYPES OF CULTIVATORS Trespass Growers Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) cartel Proposition growers exceeding local ordinances for profit -DTO growing for profit under 215 guise

6 PRIVATE LANDS: A NEW FRONTIER FOR MARIJUANA GROWERS California s private property fences and property lines violated daily Trespassing marijuana growers are setting booby traps, resorting to violence and vandalism And, spoiling the land by stealing water and spraying dangerous chemicals that leach into streams and harm wildlife

7 IMPACTS: TWO CATEGORIES 1. Development 2. Operational

8 REFUSE Spring Tributary to Marshall Crossing Ck, trib to Mill Ck, thence Trinity River

9 Fertilizers Yellow Legged Frog at Red Mountain Grow NUTRIENTS / AMMONIA LEADING TO EUTROPHICATION/TOXICITY

10 POLLUTION Up to one pound of fertilizer is used for six marijuana plants throughout the season Growing 12,000 plants equates to approximately 2,000 lbs. of fertilizer applied Pesticides are used in large quantities Bioaccumulation: Rodent killers keep on killing Plant hormones seep into streams/groundwater Human waste/garbage is typically not remediated

11 FERTILIZERS

12 DEFORESTATION Hoopa, September 2010

13 GRADING AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION

14 TYPES OF PESTICIDES Insecticides Organochlorine (Lindane, Chlordane, Toxaphene) Organophosphate (malathion, diazinon, dursban) Carbamate (carbofuran, aldicarb, carbaryl) Pyrethroid (Permethrin)

15 TYPES OF PESTICIDES Rodenticides Zinc Phosphide (rat/mouse bait) Strychnine (gopher bait) AntiCoagulants Herbicides Glyphosate (Roundup ) 2,4-D (Weed B Gon )

16 NO BMP S OR STREAM PROTECTION

17 NO BMP S OR STREAM PROTECTION

18 WATER USE/STREAM DIVERSIONS

19 MARIJUANA PLANT WATER DEMAND 150 day watering period Up to 5 gallons to 15 gallons per plant per day Streams cannot support fish and provide large amounts of water to growers during low flows

20 DEWATERING STREAMS

21 August 2010

22 July 2011

23 POST MOUNTAIN 2005

24 POST MOUNTAIN 2012

25

26 AFRP AREA OF COVERAGE

27 Photo by Thomas Dunklin Photo by Doug Killam Central Valley Chinook and Steelhead

28 SPRING-RUN CHINOOK HISTORIC AND CURRENT DISTRIBUTION, NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY Excerpt, NMFS 2014 Draft Recovery Plan

29

30

31

32

33

34

35 agriculture Mariuana production Roadrelated mining & resource extraction watershed & riparian devegetation channel alteration toxics in soil toxics in subsurface waters toxics in wet or dry deposition toxics in surface runoff toxics in discharged waters delivery of toxics to streams LEGEND human activity environmental conditions bioavailability, uptake, or toxicity toxic chemicals source additional step in causal pathway episodic exposures sustained exposures proximate stressor condition growth behavior susceptibility to other stressors modifying factor mode of action mortality reproductive success response Simple conceptual diagram for TOXIC CHEMICALS Developed 7/2007 by Kate Schofield, Suzanne Marcy & Glenn Suter; modified 6/2010 population & community structure ecosystem processes

36 THE AFRP-FUNDED STUDY Current legal marijuana cultivation is relatively unregulated with regards to the effect on natural resources, although efforts by certain state agencies and county governments have been initiated (e.g. North Coast Agricultural Lands Discharge Program). Illegal/Cartel growing is a chronic, if not increasing, problem. If deemed significant, this perturbation could suppress wild fish populations for an indeterminate period and further hamper recovery of listed species and/or populations. There is a need to assess this potential impact on anadromous fish populations, particularly special status species, and identify the significance of its impact. This will allow resource agencies involved with species recovery and restoration to more effectively address a prioritized set of impacts and focus the restoration efforts accordingly. Steps in the study: Step 1. Develop the information and tools needed to define the potential stressors caused by marijuana production using the EPA s Causal Analysis or another comparable procedure to analyze all available data in specific northern California stream systems. Ultimately, the study plan including this non-biased analysis will compare the threats of marijuana cultivation relative to historic and present land-use activities in the watershed. Step 2. Conduct monitoring activities within the selected watershed and at secured marijuana fields following law enforcement activities. Step 3. Finalize two sampling protocols; one for evaluating targeted reaches and watershed condition affected by MCSs and one for determining impacts of marijuana cultivation on specific sites. The later protocol will provide data for prosecuting individual cultivators committing environmental crimes. Step 4. Produce a report to communicate the effects of marijuana cultivation on biotic integrity and anadromous fish; identify and prioritize areas to protect and/or restore; and develop a process and/or data that can be used to quantify those effects.

37 MF Cottonwood Creek Study Site

38 Antelope Creek Study Site(s)

39 CONTACT INFORMATION NORTHERN AREA AFRP Tricia Parker Hamelberg, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (530) , Brenda Olson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (530) , or Tricia Bratcher, CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, (530) , Mike Healey (Butte Cr), CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, (916) , Also visit the AFRP website at: Photos courtesy of OSPR, D. Bickford and P. Bratcher

40 WHO CAN YOU REPORT TO? Determine Jurisdiction County Sheriff, CDFW, DOJ, Federal Agency Roles and Responsibilities Sheriff: Usually the lead agency on private land CDFW: Lead agency for state and CDFW land Supports allied agencies Lead agency for environmental issues WET TEAM! DOJ: Usually handles cases where county boundaries are crossed Federal Agencies: US Forest Service, BLM and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

41 AGENCY CONTACTS Shasta County Sheriff s Office- Sgt Barry Powell phone (530) bpowell@co.shasta.ca.us Tehama County Sheriff s Office- Detective Chris Benson Phone: (530) cbenson@tehamaso.org CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife- Lt. DeWayne Little, WET Team phone: (530) dewayne.little@wildlife.ca.gov U.S. Forest Service- Captain Chad Krogstad phone: (530) ckrogstad@fs.fed.us U.S. Bureau of Land Management- Supervising Ranger Kenyon Riley phone: kriley@blm.gov