Pubdate: Fri, 04 Feb 2011
Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
Copyright: 2011 Record Searchlight
Contact:  http://www.redding.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360
Author: Lynda Dionno
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n064/a08.html

GROWING IN TRINITY? YES, BUT STICK TO FACTS

I was amazed at the fiction that appeared in your newspaper on 
Sunday. Either Evelyn Ward is living in an alternate universe or 
she's been using some of the weed she is ranting about.

My great-grandfather and his two cousins (Hitchcocks) were some of 
the first settlers up here in 1849, and Uncle Dan had mining claims 
up here from 1890 to 1958. I've been visiting family and friends in 
Trinity County since the 1940s and we bought a place up here seven years ago.

You bet there is a lot of growing. And the Pines is a disaster. 
However, the Pines was never some place you wanted to go unless you 
knew someone, and not somewhere to visit after dark. The Pines has 
always been a place where people went to hide and a whole bunch of 
them were and are living pretty much the way the growers are - 
without wells, electricity or "indoor plumbing" if you know what I mean.

You don't read continually about pit bulls attacking people, and 
quite frankly that misguided hysteria is getting old. Yes, a very 
nice gentleman was attacked by a pit bull, her pup and a Rottweiler. 
They weren't owned by some evil cartel or big-time grower. So let's 
stick with the facts. Fear-mongering is getting old.

Furthermore, you can't drive down Highway 3 and see grows all over 
the place. Pure fabrication! One place about nine miles north of town 
has a fence covered with shade cloth. One place about a quarter-mile 
closer to town is "in your face" and right on the road. Yes, they cut 
down trees. Sounds like they scalped the land the way our budding 
author wrote about it. They cut down about eight scrub oak trees. 
They didn't cut "roads," which brings to mind big construction; they 
cut two terraces. The oak they are cutting and selling for firewood, 
and it is neatly piled. There is no "different" look to Hayfork. It 
looks the same as when we bought out place except for the one grower 
- - with a porta potty, new fifth wheel and powder-coat carport. Oh, 
and he doesn't have a fancy new truck either. It's about 10 years 
old. There are no "shanty" towns. There is no "circus" tent. The only 
bunch of U-Hauls is at The Feed Store, and it is a U-Haul rental center.

If you don't like the pot growers and pot growing, stick with the 
facts. This raging case of Pinocchio Syndrome and wild exaggerations 
are just too much. The facts are that pot growing is somewhat out of 
control. However, might I suggest that Ward and the rest of the 
fantasy writers head on over to Weaverville and sit in court some 
morning? You'll see a parade of the folks from out in the Pines, all 
cited for the damage they have done. All without lawyers unless they 
paid for them with their own dime. (If you own land, you aren't 
eligible to get help from the Public Defender, and boy did that 
surprise the beejeebers out of those folks!) All with plans to fix 
the land that have to be approved by the Forest Service. All with 
wallets in hand as they face some might hefty fines.

Do we need regulation? You bet'cha. What we don't need, however, are 
people with overly fertile imaginations like Ward and the local high 
school principal. I'm not sure what is more offensive, the rude 
growers or the folks who write letters like this and think that all 
your readers are too stupid to find out the facts.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom