Walk Your Land Extension Programming for Safety and Protection against Unauthorized Use of Land

Methamphetamine & Kentucky Land Methamphetamine cooks often use farmland or rental property. Waste is left behind along with toxic residue. Water and soil are at risk of contamination.

How does this happen? Such activity often happens at night. Some cooks will offer amounts of cash to encourage landowners to ignore this activity. Absent landowners may not even notice. The payoff is great enough for many cooks to take the risk of getting caught.

Lack of Knowledge Puts the Public at Risk Not understanding basic meth-related risks contribute to public danger. Burying waste increases risk of respiratory damage, burns or death from gasses or explosion. Burying waste certainly contaminates land. Dumping waste in sinkholes contaminates the water table and is a federal violation.

Good Guys Helping Bad Guys An offer of cash for the use of abandoned buildings may sound good at first. Selling a gallon of anhydrous ammonia for a few hundred dollars may seem harmless. Anything that sounds that good – has a price. has a price.

Good Stewardship of Land Lack of immediate negative consequence does not mean no negative consequence. Crops can be contaminated. Livestock can be contaminated. Future generations deserve to have land that is safe to use for farming and recreation.

Words to Protect the Agricultural Community: Do not accept cash for use of property. Do not sell anhydrous ammonia. Know what happens on your property. Do not bury, move, or examine any trash found on property. Use anonymous reporting systems within your community. Do not try to figure out “who-dun-it”.

Encouraging Landowners to Walk Their Land Encourage use of photo guide to protect community members during hunting season or while working on land. Educate about the benefits of walking the land. People who walk their land are less likely to be the victims of unauthorized use of land. Encourage community members to organize community walks for safety.

Expert Knowledge Not Required You do not have to know everything about methamphetamine to do this program. Your role is education and safety, not enforcement. This guide provides you and the community with information necessary to protect land. We can relax and leave the dangerous part to those specially trained in that area.

Purpose of Walk Your Land: Safety, Not Enforcement Intended for protection of people and land. Intended to increase community awareness of potential hazards on land. Intended to protect landowners from unwittingly contributing to ease of manufacture. Not intended to put Extension Agents in the role of law enforcement. Not intended for people to try to “catch” people doing illegal things. Not intended for landowners to take the law into their own hands.

Recognize common dangers:

Program Ideas for WYL Organize “walks” during annual cleanup events on state parks and local campgrounds. Organize walking clubs as part of other physical activity programming. Partner with local environmental groups. Use the WYL guide to educate public groups known to organize hikes or camps. Organize trail riding events on horseback or with bikes.

Questions? For additional information on health issues in Kentucky, contact your local County Extension Office or visit the HEEL website at: This information is provided by the H.E.E.L. Program. Health Education through Extension Leadership (H.E.E.L.) is a partnership among the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and the Kentucky School of Public Health. The development of the HEEL program was made possible by Senator Mitch McConnell with funds earmarked for the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Lexington, KY and budgeted through the CSREES/USDA Federal Administration. Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.