When most people visit a national park, they expect to enjoy a day of hiking and sightseeing. One thing the average visitor doesn’t anticipate seeing is a secret cannabis grow site. Nevertheless, this is exactly what Death Valley National Park rangers found in Jail Canyon. Here are the details on what happened and how the National Park Service (NPS) cleaned up the area.
Death Valley National Park announced the grow site discovery on April 30, 2021. The find was reported after a fly-over of Jail Canyon. Located to the west of the Panamint Mountains, Jail Canyon is a little-visited part of Death Valley National Park.
In addition to identifying cannabis plants in the region, rangers also reported trash, damage to the landscape, and hazardous chemicals such as carbofuran. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), carbofuran can cause blurred vision, abdominal cramps, convulsions, and several other symptoms in humans. The chemical can also affect wildlife.
“We are deeply saddened and concerned with the damage that these illegal activities cause,” Barbara Durham, Traditional Historic Preservation Officer for the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, said in a Death Valley National Park news release. “The natural and cultural resources in these areas are irreplaceable and invaluable, damaging them for profit shows incredible disrespect to our homeland.”
On May 16, 2023, a follow-up news release shared that a team had finished cleaning up the Jail Canyon grow site. This team included park rangers, American Conservation Experience members, and the California Air National Guard.
The clean-up removed 10,000 plants and 35 cubic yards of trash from the area. According to the NPS, the plants removed from the site had an estimated sale value of over $7 million.
In response to this incident, the NPS has increased surveillance throughout the park. Park visitors are encouraged to report unusual sightings to the NPS via visitor centers or the NPS tip line at 888-653-0009.