Protecting public lands

The Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Washington National Guard, the Klickitat County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Skamania County Sheriff's Office combined to locate and eradicate two major marijuana "plantations." Approximately 6,000 plants -- reportedly worth between $6 million and $9 million -- were discovered and subsequently removed.

Due to the ruggedness of the terrain, the Washington National Guard supplied a Black Hawk helicopter to haul the marijuana out of the area. That operation spotlighted the professionalism of the National Guard's helicopter pilot and crew, who repeatedly flew in at treetop level with cargo nets bulging with illicit marijuana. Also performing admirably was the team on the ground that worked under the hovering Black Hawk in heavy, swirling dust to remove and attach cables on cargo nets loaded with illicit marijuana.

Having the unique capability of a helicopter was instrumental in finding the plantations in the first place, as it was a recent reconnaissance flight over the area that first led to the discovery. Once law enforcement personnel went in on the ground to investigate, they found two plantations near each other, as well as living quarters for those tending the plants. Authorities estimate that at least four men, maybe more, would be needed to handle all the work.

It was clearly a professional operation, well researched and well executed, complete with irrigation hoses for watering the plants via nearby Buck Creek.

Authorities found evidence that the men camping there were armed, and that is especially troubling.

DNR land, of course, is public land, and citizens are allowed to hike, hunt, and enjoy the scenery out there. So we have to wonder what would have happened to an individual or individuals who happened to stumble onto the plantation by accident. With literally millions of dollars at stake, it is not beyond the realm of possibility to imagine that those unlucky people might have ended up "missing." That's a chilling thought, and it makes it even more critical that law enforcement got there first -- especially with hunting season nearly upon us.

SDS Lumber Co. also deserves praise for allowing authorities to use its incinerator to dispose of the plants. Two dump trucks were required to haul the heavy load, so it was no small task to figure out an efficient way to get rid of those thousands of plants.

The bottom line is, that land belongs to all of us, and we are grateful to those who worked effectively to deny this large-scale corruption of our forest.

JB