Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 654 is a conversation with retired California game warden and author John Nores about the hidden war being fought on America's public lands. John spent his career confronting illegal cartel-run marijuana grows on public ground, the environmental destruction they leave behind, and the danger that comes with policing remote wilderness. In this episode he lays out a problem most outdoorsmen never see.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · press play in the player above to watch.
John Nores is a retired California Department of Fish and Wildlife game warden and an author. He spent his career on the front lines of confronting illegal cartel-operated marijuana grows on public lands and became a leading voice on the environmental and public-safety damage they cause.
It refers to the illegal cartel-run grow operations hidden deep on America's public lands, the environmental destruction they cause, and the armed confrontations that come with trying to shut them down. John argues most people who use public land have no idea it is happening.
John describes diverted streams, banned pesticides and rodenticides poisoning wildlife and water, trash and infrastructure left behind, and lasting harm to remote ecosystems. The damage often continues long after a grow is discovered.
These operations are frequently armed and located in extremely remote terrain, which makes enforcement a tactical and physical challenge. John talks about the realities of confronting them and the risks game wardens take that the public rarely hears about.
John wants hunters, anglers and public-land users to understand the threat exists, recognize the signs, and support the wardens and conservation efforts working to protect these places. He frames it as a conservation issue as much as a law-enforcement one.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 654 with John Nores is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and iHeartRadio. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I care about public lands, and I thought I understood the threats to them. John Nores opened my eyes to a problem I had barely registered. His career was spent confronting illegal cartel grows on public ground, and the environmental damage he describes is staggering.
I wanted him on the show because this is a conservation story that almost no one is telling, and he is one of the few people who has lived it from the front lines. Every hunter and angler who uses public land should hear this.
Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
John describes a problem most public-land users never see: illegal cartel-run grow operations hidden deep in remote terrain across America's wild places. He explains how widespread it is and why it stays invisible to the average hunter or angler. This is the foundation of the whole conversation. Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
This is the part that hit me hardest. John details diverted streams, banned pesticides and rodenticides poisoning wildlife and water, and the wreckage left behind in places that take decades to recover. It reframes these operations as an environmental catastrophe, not just a crime. Listen to that section of the episode.
Confronting armed operations in extremely remote wilderness is a tactical and physical challenge most people cannot imagine. John talks about the realities of enforcement and the risks wardens take that the public almost never hears about. Watch the YouTube player above to hear it in his words.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
John does not leave it as just a grim picture. He talks about what public-land users should know, the signs to recognize, and how to support the wardens and conservation efforts protecting these places. This is the call to action. Press play to hear how he frames it.
This conversation changed how I think about public lands. I walked in caring about access and conservation, and I walked out understanding a threat I had no real grasp of before.
John has spent his life on the front line of this, and he tells it without exaggeration because he does not need to. If you hunt, fish, or simply value wild places, this is one of the most important conversations I have had on the show. Listen to the whole thing.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 654 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
John Nores · California Department of Fish and Wildlife · Tom Rowland · Tom Rowland Podcast
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
John Nores is a retired California Department of Fish and Wildlife game warden and an author who spent his career confronting illegal cartel-operated marijuana grows on America's public lands. He became a leading voice on the environmental destruction and public-safety threats those operations create, and he works to inform hunters, anglers and the broader public about a largely hidden war being fought across the country's wild places.
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