BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Summer is slowly winding toward the last days of fun and festivities.

The following information has been released by the Public Affairs Office of the Sequoia National Forest.

Public and employee safety is a key part of the U.S. Forest Service Mission of “caring or the land and serving people.”

The marijuana cultivation season is in full swing and it is especially important to be aware of your surroundings on national forests.

Operation SOS— Save Our Sierra—is a multi-agency effort to eradicate marijuana and has been very active this year on national forests in the Sierra Nevada. Please be observant when in the woods and follow your instincts. Here are some clues that you may have come across a cultivation site out in the forest:

Smell a skunk? The smell of marijuana, especially on hot days, is like a skunk.

See PVC (plastic) pipes? Hoses or drip lines will be located in unusual or unexpected places.

See unusual hiking trails? Is there a well used trail where there shouldn’t be one?

Hearing voices? Are there sounds coming from an unusual place in the forest?

Are people loitering? Did you see people standing along forest roads without vehicles present, or in areas where loitering appears unusual?

Visiting isolated areas? Typical marijuana plantations are found in isolated locations, in rough steep terrain (typically between 500 to 5500 elevation).

Did you spot an eleborate mountain camp containing cooking and sleeping areas with food?

Did you spot numerous small propane bottles? Growers avoid smoke from a wood fire.

Did you see hikers with VERY heavy packs? Did you see fertilizer, weapons, garbage, or dead animals in camp?

Is it hunting season? Did you run into individuals armed with rifles out of hunting season?

As soon as you become aware that you have entered a marijuana cultivation site, or have encountered any of the above listed situations, immediately reduce the threat by removing yourself from the area. Walk, crawl or run out the way you came in and make as little noise as possible. The growers may be present, and may or may not know that you have found their operation.

As soon as possible, contact your nearest Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer or ranger station and report as much detail about the incident as you can recall.