Reefer Madness - The Environmental Cost Of America's 'Green Rush' Claudine Mulard - Le Monde/Worldcrunch
go to original August 9, 2013

California's Emerald Triangle is supplying tons of the green stuff - (mardi grass 2011)

MIRANDA - The history of California's damaged ecosystem can be traced back to the mid 19th century gold rush; then there was the forest rush, when the lumber industry arrived to plant and chop down countless trees.

And now, after decades of devastation from the mining and logging industries, some environmentalists are warning about the green rush. That would be the marijuana growers who are multiplying, and the natural resources they're using to nurture their crops are being depleted, says Scott Bauer, of the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In Northern California, the three counties of Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino comprise the “Emerald triangle,” considered to be the largest marijuana-growing region in the United States, he says.

In a dried river bed, Bauer points out coho salmon, a threatened species, and other fish that have perished because of the river's drought. They are the victims of intense  -  and illegal  -  irrigation to support marijuana fields and greenhouses, which prematurely dries up the rivers. “Because of this summer's severe dryness, California's water resources are highly compromised,” he says.

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