Fish and Wildlife, Water Board, inspect marijuana grows, possible fines

Article published February 12, 2015 by Willits News By: Adrian Baumann Read online at Willits News A coalition of state and local government agencies, led by the State Water Board and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife inspected 15 marijuana farms in January along Sproul Creek in Humboldt County. The inspection tour was authorized … Read more

Fall Member Letter 2014

Friday, December 12, 2014 Dear Friends of the Eel River, It never rains but it pours. Here on the rainforest coast, the old saw often invokes less the classic series of unfortunate events than the fact that crisis and opportunity sometimes come, like our rain, by the bucket. After three long years of the most … Read more

Groundwater Ruling Has Rippling Effects

Decision could lead to unprecedented state regulations Amid concerns of costly and unregulated use of California’s groundwater, a Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled groundwater pumping that impairs waterways violates the public’s right to use those waterways, which one group states could set the stage for making counties responsible for implementing regulations. “What we have … Read more

Court Ruling Restores Right to Limit Russian River Water Use

A state appeals court has restored the authority of California water regulators to direct reductions in cold-weather sprays by grape growers and other waterfront farmers along the Russian River that have led to deaths of endangered species of salmon. A Mendocino County judge previously ruled that the state Water Resources Control Board lacked authority to … Read more

Marijuana's Thirst Depleting North Coast Watersheds

…with logging activity on the decline across much of the region and a thriving black market for pot — plus state-sanctioned recreational marijuana sales in Washington and Colorado — the spread of cannabis cultivation is now seen by many environmentalists and government scientists as the greatest threat to forests and streams damaged by decades of … Read more

Growers of Thirsty Pot are Under Fire in Drought-Struck California

In drought-hit California, marijuana growers are feeling the heat, accused of using too much water for their thirsty plants and of polluting streams and rivers with their pesticides and fertilizers. … Nevedal and other pot backers said the ultimate solution was for Congress to fully legalize the drug, which she said would eliminate the need … Read more

California US Attorneys Defying White House's Weed Policy

Holder testifying under oath to one version of history while his prosecutors in California act out another shows “his U.S. Attorneys are not being controlled by the Department of Justice,” Pappas said. “(Washington D.C. is) not aware of what’s going on with individual U.S. Attorneys.”   Article by: David Downs Photo courtesy of the Department … Read more

The Long Road to Marijuana Regulation

EcoNews October 2013 By Scott Greacen Under the latest so-called Cole memo, US Attorneys are directed to avoid marijuana prosecutions where there is a regulatory system in place that will keep pot away from kids, out of interstate commerce, and out of the hands of criminal organizations, among other specific measures. Of course, California does … Read more