01 Sep Something New

During our internship program we are able to visit part of the forest where people do no usually know about. Such as the dam located in Dardanelle with amazing views. The forest is so amazing and breathtaking. The forest has incredible views and this is not the only spot. We were able to drive to many places that consisted of peaceful lakes and hidden pools that only the locals know about. The local community have taught us the history about Pinecrest, which is an area we patrol everyday, and give us insight about their people. We learn about the mining history they have because many homeless individual want to live on the land with a mining permit. Sonora Ca was known as the “Queen of the Southern Mines” which was one of the largest gold rush settlements in California. Sonora has about 4,280 mines nearby that many of the homeless tend to claim.

HOW DOES IT INVOLVE LAW ENFORCEMENT?

We are involved because many of the homeless are mining on federal property which means they need to file a claim to own ownership of that land they are mining on. Not only do they need a claim/permit, but they are also destroying the environment by leaving human waste, trash, etc. Many of the individuals have pets who also destroy the natural forest. These individuals also plant their own illegal marijuana plants deep in the forest, poisonings the native plants and water with pesticides.

We had the opportunity to visit Vallejo & Yosemite to visit some of the most important places of our job. The first place we visited was the Yosemite courthouse where we watched a couple of cases be prosecuted. That day there was a terrible fire in Yosemite which was very smokey, ashes were falling from the sky. The view of the Half Dome was still breathtaking from a distance. We were able to travel to Vallejo to visit the Command staff in the regional office. We discussed our future as an LEO intern and had lunch afterwards. It was a great day and we are lucky to meet the people who have been through this journey.