Marijuana Operation Found On National Park Land In Santa Monica Mountains

3,500 marijuana plants were discovered in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area this week, the discovery is the 14th of it’s kind in the last two years with plants found in the Zuma/Trancas Canyon.

State workers are currently clearing up to 10 acres of plants, plastic water hoses, herbicides, pesticides, rodent fencing, fertilizer and other pot growing supplies.

The plants were spotted by a Forest Ranger who noticed a plastic hose running from a creek to nine marijuana plots.

Park Superintendent Woody Smeck said in a statement:

“Marijuana cultivation is a serious and rising problem in the Santa Monica Mountains and other park lands across the country,” while adding, “The environmental damage caused by marijuana cultivation in otherwise pristine natural areas costs approximately $12,000 per acre to clean up.”

With a vast area to cover the Santa Monica Mountains have become a popular spot to grow the lucrative weed with $130 million in plants being confiscated in 2010 alone, an amount equal to 42,000 marijuana plants.

Even as forest rangers monitor the area continuously new plants are discovered on a regular basis.