OFFICIALS GEAR UP FOR SEQUOIA BATTLES

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK -- Federal, state and local authorities are gearing
up for another battle this summer against marijuana growers in the Sequoia
National Forest.

Officers seized 60,000 marijuana plants, with an estimated value of $180
million, in Tulare County last year, according to Tulare County sheriff's
Lt. Greg Wright.

Most of that was being grown in the Sequoia National Forest.

No plants have been found this year, but the growing season has just begun.

Growers use a variety of pesticides and dangerous chemicals they eventually
dump into mountain streams that feed into the county's water supply, Wright
said. He also said most of the growers are also armed to ward off other
growers who raid their gardens, and there is risk a hiker could come across
a garden and be shot by a grower.

Wright said anyone hiking in the forest who finds a marijuana patch should
immediately leave, but should note the patch's location and report it.