Illegal grow site found near Glen Ellen

An eight-member SWAT team from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office last week assessed a suspected grow area at the County-owned Calabazas Creek Open Space Preserve – a 1,290-acre preserve near Glen Ellen. On May 24, more than 3,000 individual plants were found and destroyed.

The grow operation was under canopy cover and consisted of rows of planting wells sculpted into the hillside fed by irrigation line, accompanied by an unoccupied campsite.

The team estimated the extent of the grow site to be just over half an acre.

Officials from the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space District say they became aware of the grow site earlier in the spring, and have been working with the Sheriff’s Office to assess the situation.

Bill Keene, general manager of the Agricultural and Open Space District, said such illegal grows “severely threaten our water, wildlife and natural landscapes” and commended the Sheriff’s Office for “taking action to eliminate this particular grow operation on one of the District’s most pristine and wild properties.”

County open space officials say the illegal grows use pesticides, rodenticides and fertilizers which can taint the soil and run off into creeks and streams threatening salmon, trout and other water species.

“Our precious creeks and streams also suffer tremendously from water diversion and the creation of fertilizer mixing basins to irrigate the cannabis crops,” the District said in a press release following the discovery of the Calabazas grow site. “Further, growers often clear large swaths of natural, native vegetation to make way for the plants, and frequently leave behind large amounts of trash and debris in abandoned camps.”

Supervisor Susan Gorin, whose 1st District includes Calabazas Creek Open Space Preserve, stressed the county’s commitment to “protecting our vital natural resources and the community’s investment in our wild and scenic open space lands” from the environmental damage that can come from large-scale illegal cannabis grows.”

“I’m proud that our County departments are working together to stop the spread of illegal grows on lands protected by and for Sonoma County residents,” said Gorin.