The massive marijuana is eradicated in the Sequoia National Park, into the spotlight on the ecological toll of the black market

Federal Rangers and Bureau of Land Management Agents have dismantled an illegal marijuana cultivation, which extended deeply in the Sequoia National Park over 13 hectares, which increases the permanent environmental threats of the secret even in a time after legalization.

Rangers removed 2,377 mature marijuana plants and about 2,000 pounds of garbage and infrastructure. The company used manual clean -up work and helicopter slingshot due to the remote area of ​​the area.

The delayed rehabilitation die was first ramified in 2024 due to dangerous conditions, including a gallon methamidophos, a toxic insecticide that has been banned since 2009 and the presence of a semi-automatic pistol.

Environmental degradation was extensive: the vegetation was cleared; Water was diverted by a stream into storage pits and irrigation lines; Terraces were carved in hills; Campsites, kitchen areas and almost two miles of illegal paths were built; And wildlife signs were obvious.

The NPS emphasized that each marijuana plant consumes 6–8 gallons of water every day – crucial for the local wild animals and the downstream communities of the Central Valley and Pesticide continues to drive from ecosystems.

In the past two decades, almost 300,000 illegal cannabis plants have been equipped to 850 million US dollars in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, thereby underlining the extent of ongoing illegal agricultural operations.

Despite the legalization of cannabis in California in 2016, federal areas are still uninterrupted and the ongoing black market continues to impair protected environments through widespread growth, as in affected areas such as Siskiyou County, in which the rampant cultivation has decimated wild animals