CDFW Offering “Pop-Up” Shop To Assist Cannabis Cultivators

The following is courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is offering technical assistance to cannabis cultivators with a new pilot program.

The first of its kind Pop-up Shop is designed to review current or upcoming cultivation related projects and provides guidance on remediation projects or other construction activity with one-on-one assistance.

“CDFW fully supports the regulated market and is ready to help new and legacy farmers that have questions about their Lake and Streambed Alteration agreement applications,” said Jeremy Valverde, CDFW’s Cannabis Program Director. “In addition to online permitting workshops, phone and email assistance, this is an opportunity to assist cultivators more directly and hopefully take some of the mystery out of the process.”

CDFW’s Cannabis Permitting and Conservation Engineering staff will be on hand to answer questions. Cultivators from neighboring counties are welcomed and can schedule meetings too. Along with this, EPIMS support staff will be available to help with online notifications.

Meetings will be by appointment only and times will be reserved on a first come first serve basis. Once someone is scheduled for a meeting, a confirmation email will be sent with instructions on what to bring to the meeting. Participants are encouraged to bring digital photos and other project paperwork. More details are below:

Who: CDFW’s Cannabis Program

When: Wednesday, September 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

What: Technical Pop-Up Shop for Cannabis Cultivators

Where: The Benbow Historic Inn, 445 Lake Benbow Drive, Garberville

How: One-on-one meetings can be scheduled at askcannabis@wildlife.ca.gov on first-come, first-served basis. Interested participants should include “Technical Pop Up” in the subject line and the preferred time in the message. No walk-ins will be allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Those with additional questions can email CDFW at askcannabis@wildlife.ca.gov, visit wildlife.ca.gov/cannabis to learn more about permitting, Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements or attend any of the upcoming online permitting workshops.