Officials Remove Over 2,000 Marijuana Plants from California National Park

NEED TO KNOW

• Officials recently removed over 2,000 marijuana plants within Sequoia National Park

• The cultivation site encompassed about 13-acres of public land

• The move is part of a two-decade-long battle against illegal marijuana cultivation in California National Parks

Officials at a popular California national park recently removed over 2,000 marijuana plants from public land.

On Aug. 21, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a press release detailing park rangers and the Bureau of Land Management’s joint effort to remove an illegal cultivation site within Sequoia National Park.

Authorities found 2,377 fully grown marijuana plants and approximately 2,000 pounds of trash and infrastructure. The unwanted items were removed by hand and by helicopter sling-load operations — in which a large, heavy object can be suspended from a helicopter using a cargo hook and rigging.

Elsewhere on the nearly 13-acre damaged property, officials found a semi-automatic pistol and about one gallon of Methamidophos, a highly toxic insecticide banned in the U.S. since 2009.

Law enforcement first raided this cultivation site in 2024, but it was not rehabilitated until this year due to the presence of hazardous chemicals.

In order to grow the plants, the perpetrators caused damage to the natural environment including diverting the natural flow of water from a nearby creek, creating pits to store the water, significantly clearing the surrounding vegetation, digging terraces into the hillside, illegally maintaining about two miles of trails and developing campsites, kitchen areas and cultivation sites in the wilderness area.

“Large marijuana cultivation sites can have major impacts on the Central Valley,” the NPS wrote in their press release. “According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a single marijuana plant uses six to eight gallons of water a day that would otherwise nurture wildlife and vegetation.”

Additionally, water travels from the mountains within Sequoia National Park to areas of the Central Valley. This water is used for personal use including drinking, bathing and cooking and for crop irrigation. Runoff from cultivation sites may taint the water due to the presence of pesticides.

While officials confirmed no arrests have been made, an investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any tips on illegal cultivation on park land is encouraged to call the NPS tip line at 888-653-0009.

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Illegal marijuana cultivation has been an issue in both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks for almost two decades, according to the NPS. In the past 20 years, nearly 300,000 plants with a value of almost $850 million have been removed from the California parks.

“These cultivation sites cause major damage to the parks’ natural resources and are a threat to public and staff safety,” the NPS wrote.

Last year, Sequoia National Park set an annual record with over 1.3 million visitors coming to view its natural wonders.

Despite the legalization of recreational marjiuana in California in 2016, cannabis still remains illegal under federal law. That means cannabis users cannot use or possess the substance on federal lands, like national parks.

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