September 03, 2011

Perversely, The Ancient Ones Might Be Impressed

A survey of flood damage following the Las Conchas Fire, which burned over much of Bandelier National Monument in northern New Mexico, turned up a healthy marijuana plantation.
Superintendent Jason Lott said park workers spotted the pot field in rugged terrain last week when they flew a helicopter over areas in the northern part of the park that flooded after 3 inches of rain from back-to-back storms.

An interagency task force of about 35 personnel raided the area at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, then began the labor of ripping out the plants that they estimated could have had a street value in the million of dollars. The illegal site also featured an irrigation system, he said.
I have no quarrel with moderate cannabis usage, but I despise growers who tear up public lands and threaten whoever goes near their operations.

That said, given how dry the summer has been, don't you think that the Ancestral Puebloans of Frijoles Canyon would be impressed that someone managed to grow something?

1 comment:

Holly Heyser said...

I second that. Don't know if you have the same problem we do, but there's a huge issue with the plot-tenders poaching too - really wreaking havoc on local deer populations.

I'm blown away that pot still isn't legal. Forcing it underground creates so many problems!