Save the Scenic Santa Ritas (SSSR) is a volunteer-based, non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation, based in Tucson, Arizona.
We were formed in 1996 to protect the scenic, aesthetic, recreational and wildlife values of the Santa Rita Mountains through education and outreach, including protection of the Santa Ritas from degradation due to mining activities. Our main focus in 1996 was stopping the ASARCO/Forest Service land exchange, and preventing an open pit copper mine. The land exchange proposal was withdrawn in early 1998, but SSSR has been watching out for new mining proposals since then.
In 2005 Augusta Resource, a small Canadian mining company bought the Rosemont Ranch and has proposed a large open pit mine on that property that includes dumping their tailings and overburden on the adjacent Coronado National Forest lands. We are tracking this proposal in addition to new mining and mineral exploration proposals in the Patagonia Mountains, including the Canelo Hills and San Rafael Valley.
Our short term goal is to prevent any mining from occurring in these areas. Our long term goal is to obtain permanent protection by withdrawing the Forest Service lands from mineral entry, and protecting the private lands from mining.
