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http://reform.house.gov/EPNRRA/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=467
October 10, 2003 - Drug Production on Public Lands - A Growing Problem
108th Congress
Friday, October 10, 2003 10:00 AM
Drug Production on Public Lands - A Growing Problem
Witness Testimony
Witness List
Testimony of Richard Martin (DOI/NPS)
Testimony of Arthur Gaffrey, Forest Supervisor (USDA/FS)
Testimony of Stephen Delgado, (DOJ/DEA)
Testimony of Lisa Mulz (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
Testimony of Val Jiminez (California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement)
Testimony of Joe Fontaine (Wilderness Watch)
Welcome to the beautiful Sequoia National Park. We are here today to examine the alarming increase of illegal drug production in our National parks and forests.
Over a century ago, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service were created to protect our Nation’s most pristine and historic lands for the enjoyment of Americans today, and for the enjoyment of the generations yet to come. We are here today because that very mission is threatened by rampant illegal drug cultivation on our public lands.
Lands that were once the epitome of natural beauty have become large-scale marijuana farms and toxic waste sites. Terraced hillsides and cannabis plants have replaced lush trees and foliage. Plastic irrigation tubing has overrun bubbling brooks and streams. And, human waste and litter have covered the organic forest floor. Yet, this is only part of the problem. Visitors, naturalists, and rangers, who were once able to roam the lands freely, are now in grave danger of being injured or killed by marijuana growers armed with AK-47s, handguns, and machetes.
For years, relatively small illegal drug operations have existed on our national lands. After September 11, 2001, however, our border security tightened significantly, and drug smugglers reacted by moving drug production from Mexico to the United States. --snip