Benbow State Recreation Area in the Eel River Watershed

About Us

The Cannabis Watershed Protection Program is a multidisciplinary team dedicated to restoring watersheds affected by illegal cannabis cultivation. State Parks created the program in 2019 with funding from Proposition 64 (The Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act), to repair the damages done by decades of illicit growing activities throughout California State Parks. Unique to California, this multifaceted team brings a holistic approach to the complex work of protecting parks from cannabis cultivation and restoring degraded watersheds back to their natural state.

To learn about the State Parks Special Enforcement Team's interagency efforts to eradicate grow sites on public lands, check out the video below. 

 

The Cannabis Watershed Protection Program Vision

Cannabis-impacted watersheds are operated and stewarded to:

  • restore and adaptively manage ecosystem functions;
  • protect and interpret natural and cultural resources;
  • ensure improved public access is safe and enriching;
  • and discourage, quickly identify, remediate, and prevent incompatible activities.

Given the challenges of accessing cultivation sites hidden in remote areas of parks, growers often return to the same watershed year after year, causing tremendous environmental damage from clearing the land, diverting water from its natural course, and using toxic herbicides and pesticides that kill native plants and wildlife. With funding available from Proposition 64 tax revenue, State Parks is able to address large scale protection of natural and cultural resources in watershed impacts by illegal cannabis cultivation.

Explore current restoration projects across the state by clicking the button below:

 

 

California State Parks staff clean up trash at an illegal cannabis grow site

In the News

Trash at an illegal cannabis grow site

Report a Grow Site

What should I do if I see suspicious cannabis-related activity in a State Park?

  • Your safe exit is our first priority: quietly leave the site as quickly as possible.
  • If you are safely able to use a mobile phone, record your GPS location and/or take a photo.
  • When it is safe to do so, call 1-888-PRK-TIPS (888-775-8477) or email watershed@parks.ca.gov to report your observations.

 

California State Parks staff hiking to an illegal cannabis grow site

Learn More

For current job opportunities, visit parks.ca.gov/jobs

Contact us: watershed@parks.ca.gov

Great Valley Grasslands State Park in the San Joaquin River Watershed