[env-trinity] Trinity Journal: Marijuana concerns boil over

[Tom Stokely]

Very sad.http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/marijuana/article_36639f52-250e-11e5-9920-fbfe9ea85c71.html
Marijuana concerns boil over
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2015 6:15 am
Marijuana grow
Trinity County supervisors were slammed by marijuana complaints at Tuesday’s board meeting in Weaverville from a large and angry crowd fed up with the rampant cultivation they said is destroying their neighborhoods and communities while little to no enforcement of adopted county code is occurring.Most came from Hayfork, but some came from other parts of the county as well. With so many lined up, speakers were given two minutes each to voice their concerns during the public comment time on the board’s agenda for items not otherwise on the agenda.A resident of Hayfork for the past 49 years, Dick Murray said he’s watched “the marijuana plague slowly take over” his quiet, peaceful neighborhood to the point that many longtime residents are leaving and he may be next.“The lot next to mine in the Shady Acre subdivision was purchased by agents a month ago and they immediately put up seven-foot fences, cut the trees, put in 99 plants, brought in a tent and small shed, piles of fertilizer and pesticides and dug a hole next to the creek for sanitary purposes. There’s no residential structure, the county ordinance is clear they aren’t supposed to be a nuisance or have more than eight plants, but nothing’s been done in spite of all the complaints,” he said.From the northern end of the county, Howard Covington of Covington Mill spoke of out-of-control criminal behavior by an individual in that community who shoots at people and blocks public access to a county road there with his excavations that recently broke the community water system.“I’m filing a grand jury complaint if nothing else is done,” he said.Joseph Bower of Hayfork said he lives downstream from the Trinity Pines subdivision where the environmental destruction caused by immense marijuana grow sites there are killing the fish and wildlife, and stealing water.“Since 2009, we’ve been trying to get somebody to pay attention to it” all the way up the U.S. Forest Service chain of command and other enforcement agencies, he said, “but the problem’s gotten worse, not better. You have the ordinances, so hire more code enforcement officers. The creek I live on had fish for 40 years, but not a one this year. We’ve got to do something.”Stan Ehler of Hayfork spoke of the impact of illegal activities surrounding the marijuana grows, saying “it’s uncontrolled, unregulated and running amok. Regulations are not being enforced and the result of no enforcement is that people no longer respect law and order and have lost respect for this county. What do you want this county to be known for?”Others spoke of visitors who no longer come and families leaving.Saying she had a personal check refused at a business on the coast because her address said Hayfork, Jo Ehler asked, “How does this board wish the county to be perceived? Do we want to be ‘Cannabis County’ or Trinity County?”Executive Director of Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment and long-time South Fork Mountain resident, Larry Glass said a coalition of environmental groups “within the Emerald Triangle” has been working for years to address the issues of cannabis and it’s a myth to think environmentalists are not concerned about the harm being caused.“There’s no regulation here and we’re recreating the Gold Rush of the 1800s in Trinity County right now. The environmental degradation is obscene and I stand ready and willing to work with you on behalf of the environmental community to try and get a handle on this,” he said.Retired Hayfork Fire Chief Dave Loeffler told the board that county staff “does nothing except throw up their hands and say there’s no money. You are subjecting every volunteer in this county to undue hazards by not dealing with the marijuana issue.”A Hayfork teacher, Ken Cox described what he said was once a rare occurrence, but now a daily situation of children coming to school with marijuana, sharing recipes for its use, falling asleep in class, drawing pictures that celebrate the plant and writing in their journals about how much money they will make producing it.“One 13-year-old told me education is bunk and that he makes more money trimming bud than I will in a year,” he said, adding few parents even show up anymore for parent/teacher conferences “because they are tending their grows and if they do come, they are stoned and incoherent. That is our new reality and it begs to be dealt with.”Several blamed the Board of Supervisors for the situation, saying they have participated for the last six years or longer in efforts to develop the county regulations that do exist, but the board has not prioritized enforcement.Becky Stetson of Hayfork described properties there going up for sale on a daily basis and said within days the sign comes down, fences go up, property is mowed, the plants go in, RVs and tents show up and then the water trucks come.“I love my property, but I will never be able to sell it for what it’s worth driving through a town I don’t want to go to, missing my friends and family that have moved away,” she said.Susan Weiss, a former Hayfork resident, said that for seven years “I did everything a citizen could possible do, filing complaints, writing letters, providing maps and presentations to you. I have problem-solved and problem-solved. I’ve been telling you it was an emergency for six years. We don’t need more talking. We need action and shame on you for what you’ve done. I’ve moved to Redding now. I don’t want to live in this county anymore.”A resident since 1956, Jim Jungwirth of Hayfork said he is also leaving and blames the Board of Supervisors for failure to act on the issue of marijuana.“I know you have to represent all the people, but I would hope you’d represent me a little differently than someone who came in May, bared the hillside and left with $2 million. That’s not me,” he said, adding he has had difficulty getting people to come to Hayfork for employment.“They didn’t even make it into town. They turn around and leave. They won’t bring their children. Time for talk is over. Pull the frigging plants. If you want them to go away, pull the plants,” he said.Board chair Judy Morris said the board is aware of the enforcement issue and working on several fronts to focus on the problems.“We do hear you. We’re sorry some very bad actors have moved in and made your lives miserable. It’s happening throughout the county and we will agendize a discussion as soon as possible,” she said, offering to plan a board session with the sheriff, county counsel and administration, federal land and wildlife managers and water quality experts to discuss all facets of the marijuana impacts.Sup. John Fenley asked for a special, evening session of the board that is only focused on enforcement of the county’s marijuana codes and his proposal to reduce the abatement time for cited offenses from 30 days to five or 10. He pressed for such a meeting next week, but there was debate about how soon a meeting could or would be scheduled.Supervisors Bill Burton and Morris as well as County Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler favored more time allowing for staff to prepare, obtain information and advertise it. The evening of July 22 was suggested, but a firm date not yet set.
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