Illegally terraced landscape. Poaching park wildlife for food. Toxic pesticides. The National Park Service (NPS) cites all of these crimes in this newly disclosed case.
In their shocking report, NPS announced Tuesday the “removal of trash and dangerous chemicals left behind from an illegal marijuana grow site operation in Jail Canyon in Death Valley National Park.”
This merely scratches the surface, however. In total, “Over 10,000 plants were eradicated with an estimated sale value of over $7 million,” their May 16 media release reveals.
Late last month, a National Park Service fly-over of Death Valley’s Jail Canyon revealed a large marijuana operation in the western slope of the Panamint Mountains. Those working the farm knew they had been discovered, quickly abandoning the site before any arrests could be made.
Left in their wake was a deeply damaged landscape, piles of trash and toxic chemicals. After NPS’s discovery, Jail Canyon would close to the public indefinitely.
As of May 17, the canyon is now open to public visitation after NPS’s safety closure. Yet those familiar with the area know this isn’t the first time Jail Canyon has closed for illegal marijuana growth.
As NPS explains, this 2023 Jail Canyon discovery is one over 20 illegal grow sites near springs in remote canyons in Death Valley National Park over the past decade. NPS explains:
“The growers typically terrace the landscape and install irrigation tubing to divert water to the marijuana plants. Workers have poached wildlife for food. They stockpiled chemicals and applied pesticides to protect their illegal crop, contaminating water sources in the process.”
National Park Service
During cleanup, officials found the Jail Canyon site contaminated with carbofuran, a chemical highly toxic to all animals, humans included.
National Park Service cleanup was extensive
Cleaning efforts began on April 27. Death Valley park rangers and American Conservation Experience (ACE) members would hike through dense vegetation into Jail Canyon, then bag up tubing, tarps, bedding, and other trash.
Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of debris, the California Air National Guard would use their Pave Hawk helicopter to perform a “longline operation” in assistance. This consisted of dropping large cargo nets to park rangers, who then loaded the garbage into the nets. In all, 35 cubic yards of trash came out of the illegal operation. Only now will the site return to a “more natural state,” NPS says. But ecosystem recovery from toxic pesticides and chemicals will take decades.
The terrain of Death Valley National Park is mostly void of trails, wild and rugged. As such, NPS is increasing the use of surveillance to detect illegal operations. This will not only protect park resources, but improve visitor safety, too.
In kind, this case’s severity is prompting the National Park Service to warn visitors of Death Valley. “When hiking in remote areas of the park, visitors are advised to be aware of their surroundings. Pay attention to things which seem unusual such as modern trash, well-used human trails, or tubing,” they cite.
If you discover a grow site, please leave the area immediately and report the location to the NPS. You can do so at a visitor center, or call the NPS tip line at 888-653-0009.
