Cleaning Up Marijuana Grow Sites

Updated: 12:07 PM 7/28/2025

About this web site

The High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew (HSVTC) was involved with cleaning up several Marijuana grow sites in the Sierras and other locations in California. This was done at the request of the United States Forest Service (USFS).

After proving to the US Forest Service (USFS) that we in the High Sierra Voulnteer Trail Crew (HSVTC) were compentent and willing to do difficult work, they asked us to help clean up Marijuana grow sites. There is Federal money (CAMP) to remove the plants, but there is no money to clean up the trash that is left behind. The marijuana growers did not have "trash service" and just threw their trash out in the area around their grow sites. When the site was raided, the growers left as fast as they could and didn't come back for their sleeping bags, etc.

Shane Kogan died in 2013. Shane had a fatel accident when he fell from a helicopter while helping to clean up marijuana filds in the Sierras.

  1. Write up from Time magazine.
  2. Write up from the Associate Press.

Initial information, etc.

  1. Background Information about Dope Grow Sites
  2. Familarization of the helicopter.
  3. Training activities with a typical pickup and ground crew work.
  4. Movies of the helicopter in action

The grow site pictures

  1. First discussions of cleaning up dope sites. Includes three short movies of learning how to work with picking up helicopter loads. ((3-18-2005)

  2. Pictures and movies about our activites at/from Balch Camp.
    1. First Marijuana Garden trip 2005 with a main camp at Balch Camp. (634 Files, 17 Folders, 265 MB)
    2. Additional pictures from subsequant trips to Balch Camp.
    3. Movies from Balch Camp.
    4. Misc Pictures from Balch Camp.
    5. Various track logs on getting to and around Balch Camp.

  3. Second, third, fourth and fifth Marijuana Clean ups
    1. CD Number 10 at Batterson Work Center, with late information about the first trip. (4-8-2005)
    2. CD Number 18 in Blue Canyon. (10-14-2005)
    3. CD Number 19 at Big Basin state park. (11-3-2005)
    4. CD Number 21 from Clearwater Forest Service Work Camp. (4-1-2006)

  4. Pictures and movies about our activites at/from Clearwater Work Center.
    1. Pictures from Clearwater Work Center, part 1
    2. Pictures from Clearwater Work Center, part 2

  5. Pictures and movies about our activites at/from The Domelands Work Center.
    1. Pictures of the cleanup of the Domelands taken by HSVTC Volunteers. (2,514 Files, 23 Folders, 2.39 GB
    2. Cleanup pictures from our Domelands trip provided by the USFS. (1,593 Files, 36 Folders, 1.12 GB)

  6. Pictures and movies about our activites at/from The Pinehurst Work Center.
    1. Pictures from near the work center.
    2. Movies from near the work center.

  7. Pictures and movies about our participation in operation LOCCUST.