YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Marijuana Farms Poison Wildlife

    Click here to listen to this podcast

    The fisher is a cute if cantankerous, increasingly rare, cat-sized carnivore of the Pacific Northwest. The big threat for weasellike fishers used to be all the logging and habitat destruction going on in the region. But a new study reveals the first four fishers known to have died from poisoning.

    Who would be poisoning fishers, you ask? Marijuana farmers, who use rodenticide to protect their illicit crop, much of it grown on public lands near Redwood National Park and Yosemite. The study is in the journal Public Library of Science One. These remote, hidden pot farms overlap with fisher habitat—and in 2008 alone nearly 4 million marijuana plants were removed from public lands in California.

    This problem extends well beyond fishers and marijuana. The national parks of countries like Guatemala have become the preferred haven of illicit landing fields for the cocaine trade, with harmful effects on the scarlet macaw, among other species. And even completely legal substances, like my caffeinated coffee, have disturbing impacts on wildlife and people.

    So the next time you're tempted to toke up, take a bump or just sip your latte, consider the costs of your habits.  

    —David Biello

    [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

    Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
    © 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

    Loading...
    • No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn’t Working

      Henny Youngman, the late borscht belt comedian, told hundreds of politically incorrect jokes. One of them was his response when asked, “How’s your wife?” “Compared to what?” he’d say.

    • Fired for word: 'Negro' in Spanish class

      One of the first lessons one learns in English class is that context is everything. The same holds true in Spanish.

    • Damage reported from magnitude-5.7 quake in Calif.

      GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Residents in rural northeastern California assessed damage to their homes and businesses Friday from a magnitude-5.7 earthquake, one of the strongest temblors to hit the densely forested region in decades.

    • 5 climbers missing on world's 3rd highest mountain

      KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Nepalese official says five climbers are missing and feared dead on the world's third highest mountain.

    • 'Horrified' trucker watches I-5 bridge collapse

      A truck hauling an oversized load of drilling equipment hit an overhead bridge girder on the major route between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the interstate into the river below as the driver ...

    • Trayvon Martin texts, photos: Might they change Zimmerman trial?

      Ultimately, many of the photos and cellphone records of Trayvon Martin released online Thursday by George Zimmerman’s defense attorneys – indicating that the slain teenager smoked marijuana, got into fights at school, and had an interest in, and perhaps access to, guns – may be ruled inadmissible in court. But they are already making the rounds in the court of public opinion, which can influence everything from fundraising efforts to the mind-set of potential jurors in Mr. Zimmerman's murder trial.

    • Magnitude 5.7 quake strikes Northern California

      (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Northern California on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of the quake was 6 miles northwest of the town of Greenville, and near the smaller community of Canyondam, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Allen Shephard, a hunting and fishing guide at Quail Lodge at Lake Almanor in Canyondam, said the quake knocked him "right off the couch and onto the floor." The floor of the lodge was littered with broken dishware, and cabinets were in disarray, said Shephard, 62. ...

    • Investigator: Missing Iowa girl's blood found

      IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators have discovered the blood of a missing 15-year-old Iowa girl on the truck of a registered sex offender suspected of kidnapping her Monday, diminishing the chances of finding her alive, a lead investigator said Thursday.

    Loading...

    Follow Yahoo! News