Register to be part of the 2023 YUBA RIVER CLEANUP — September 23, 2023
SYRCL’s vision is to inspire the community to engage in sustainable and ecologically sound cannabis cultivation in the Yuba River watershed.
Our scientists and concerned community members recognize that the environmental impacts of unregulated, large-scale cannabis cultivation are real.
SYRCL wants to help growers understand how regulation can be a tool that allows agriculture to align with objectives that maintain water quality, and promote habitat for fish and wildlife.
In 2016, California took the positive step towards regulating cannabis cultivation with Proposition 64. Nevada County was the only county in the Yuba River watershed to regulate cannabis cultivation and protect our water resources.
Unfortunately, as of 2020, cannabis impacts in the Yuba River watershed are still largely unregulated due to lack of resources and regulations on federal land as well as Sierra, Yuba and Placer counties.
SYRCL remains vigilant to the environmental impacts of unregulated cannabis operations while striving to be an active participant in the regulatory process for legal cannabis cultivation operations.
As a community we can educate each other to ensure cannabis is grown in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way.
The most concerning impacts in the Yuba are:
The overuse of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, polluting the water and poisoning wildlife.
Illegal water diversions that result in loss of late season stream flow and dry up creeks. The diversions also increase pollution and algae blooms in our streams and rivers.
Cultivating cannabis on public and forested lands causes deforestation and illegal land grading, damaging habitat for native fish and wildlife.
Widespread cannabis cultivation can lead to numerous environmental impacts, including groundwater and surface water depletion, soil erosion, habitat loss and fragmentation, and pesticide pollution. In this article, we focus on a secondary impact of cannabis cultivation—the poisoning of endangered and threatened species.
It has been almost two years since Nevada County legalized commercial cannabis cultivation, and important changes to where and how people cultivate cannabis have occurred. We are seeking feedback from both local residents to learn more about the ways in which grows are impacting you and your area and from cannabis cultivators regarding the licensing process so we can better understand what barriers exist to coming into compliance. Details
On April 3rd, our “Growing Green for the Yuba: Building Healthy Soil for a Fruitful Harvest” panel will be moderated by Elizabeth Betancourt, Chief of the Cannabis Permitting and Compliance Unit at our local Central Valley Water Board, and candidate for CA Assembly District 1. Details
SYRCL’s vision for Growing Green is that people will see that well-regulated agriculture – which is what cannabis cultivation could be – should not harm water quality, fish or wildlife. Want to know more? Read on for more on exciting developments in Growing Green for the Yuba. Details