SAN FRANCISCO – Three Eureka, Calif. men plead guilty on Wednesday to growing marijuana in a national conservation area, and in doing so, caused serious damage to the environment, according to federal officials.
The King Range National Conservation provides habitat for four federally listed threatened species: Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, steelhead, and the northern spotted owl.
The defendants – Chou Vang, Vang Pao, Yang, and Pao Vang – caused environmental damage by clearing away trees and vegetation, which created siltation, and erosion issues, heavily using fertilizers, and failing to properly dispose of trash, according to federal authorities.
C. Vang, 52, Yang, 63, and P. Vang, 45, also admitted to trespassing on the King Range Conservation Area in the summer of 2012 where they cultivated and manufactured marijuana.
Officials said the defendants’ actions affected the surrounding watershed and ecosystem of the area.
The King Range National Conservation Area is often referred to as the “crown jewel” of land protected by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
This area is one of the few, and is the largest coastal wilderness area in the contiguous 48 states and is characterized by an abrupt mountain range rising 4,000 feet directly out of the Pacific Ocean, creating a dramatic landscape of forest, pristine watersheds, and various naturally functioning ecosystems, officials said.
“The environmental harm associated with these illegal grows is wreaking havoc on these pristine ecological resources that the federal government is charged with protecting for the public,” said U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.
All three of the defendants were arrested in the King Range area on September 20, 2012, say authorities.
The three will be sentenced in July and are each facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said.