Save the Scenic Santa Ritas

Fighting to protect the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains from the devastating impacts of mining.

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Local nonprofit answers questions, offers tips on how to ‘Save The Scenic Santa Ritas’

November 3, 2022 By Lisa Froelich Leave a Comment

https://www.gvnews.com/news/local-nonprofit-answers-questions-offers-tips-on-how-to-save-the-scenic-santa-ritas/article_5b1ae4d0-571b-11ed-bb39-5377324af889.html

Note: A subscription to the Green Valley News may be required to read this letter. For your convenience, the letter is reproduced, below.

Filed Under: News, Rosemont in the News

An early assault (Green Valley News Letter to the Editor by Karen Walenga)

November 2, 2022 By Lisa Froelich Leave a Comment

https://www.gvnews.com/opinion/an-early-assault/article_64d03594-5b2f-11ed-b726-970f5a6d718c.html

Note: Reading this letter to the editor may require a subscription to the Green Valley News. The letter has been reproduced below.

From Sahuarita and Green Valley, take a look at the northwestern view of the Santa Rita Mountains these days to see what Canadian-based Hudbay Minerals Inc. is exploring on its mining claims, putting in access roads that already are changing the water flow and wildlife corridors there.

Yes, Arizona is a mining state, but the impacts of this preliminary plan for this 44-year copper mining complex includes seven open pit mines in the first 16 years, removing much of the ridgelines of Weigles and Hart buttes.

Another crucial impact: the Copper World Mine Complex will increase precious water consumption by 400 percent compared to the original Rosemont-only plan. According to Save the Scenic Santa Rita Association, all the water would be pumped from Hudbay’s well field in Sahuarita and be sent by a pipeline to the Hudbay mine facilities off of Santa Rita Road on the northwest side of the mountain.

In late 2019, Hudbay suspended the Well Protection Program Master Agreement it inherited from Augusta Resources, which provided some well maintenance coverage for the 313 families and 144 residential wells in East Sahuarita. To date, Hudbay has not resumed that coverage. Most of these residential wells are less than 400 feet deep, while two Hudbay wells are 1,227 and 1,307 feet deep. Will Hudbay keep its agreement or ignore the longtime Sahuarita Heights residents as its mine complex relies entirely on that groundwater?

Save the Scenic Santa Ritas in October requested a public hearing with the office of the Arizona State Mine Inspector, alleging it improperly approved Hudbay’s Rosemont/Copper World Mine Complex.

Stay tuned!

Karen Walenga

Sahuarita

Filed Under: News, Rosemont in the News

Pima County Memorandum Sept. 2022

September 24, 2022 By Lisa Froelich Leave a Comment

See Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher’s latest memorandum to the Board of Supervisors regarding the Copper World Complex from September 14, 2022:

https://webcms.pima.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/File/Government/Administration/AdminMemosForWeb/2022/September/2022-september-14-copper-world-complex-update.pdf

Filed Under: News, Resources, Rosemont in the News

Links to recent news articles and letters – 2022

April 6, 2022 By Lisa Froelich Leave a Comment

Recharging CAP water
Re: the March 15 letter “Rosemont recharge of CAP water.”
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor-april-4/article_d10c15f6-b0fe-11ec-92c8-6fbf4d2ad1cc.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Stu Williams, Executive Director Save The Scenic Santa Ritas
April 4, 2022

Letter: We need Rosemont Mine
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-we-need-rosemont-mine/article_1507ccae-aa34-11ec-b6cb-07c10d8bbc05.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Robert Robak
March 28, 2022

Letter: Rosemont Mine
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-rosemont-mine/article_6e738fd2-9b05-11ec-aced-7baf1cb304b7.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Brian McCarthy
March 6, 2022

Letter: No on the Rosemont Mine
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-no-on-the-rosemont-mine/article_3f2f557e-9a49-11ec-ad8f-037d325d48f4.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Paul Reese
March 5, 2022

Letter: Yes on the Rosemont Mine
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-yes-on-the-rosemont-mine/article_f9f422ee-98a1-11ec-baaf-f7e7c55c1eb3.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by James Tuthill
March 1, 2022

Tucson, CAP and Rosemont tangle over water storage
https://www.kold.com/2022/02/24/tucson-cap-rosemont-tangle-over-water-storage/
Bud Foster, KOLD News
February 23, 2022

Rosemont Mine project faces pushback over water storage
https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021822_rosemont_water_shortage/rosemont-mine-project-faces-pushback-over-water-storage/
David Abbott, Arizona Mirror
February 18, 2022

Rosemont Mine is health threat
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor-feb-13/article_3faaa542-8abf-11ec-a2eb-478209652d6e.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Elaine Wolter
February 13, 2022

US mining and exploration Snapshot: Eight companies with big plans
https://www.mining.com/us-mining-and-exploration-snapshot-eight-companies-with-big-plans/
Marilyn Scales, The Northern Miner
February 11, 2022

Hudbay’s plans
https://www.gvnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/hudbay-s-plans/article_af2884a0-893b-11ec-9f0d-2bb1d643322d.html
Green Valley News Letter to the Editor by S. Murphy
February 9, 2022

Pascua Yaqui chairman calls on Congress to fund ‘critical’ water infrastructure
https://tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/pascua-yaqui-chairman-calls-on-congress-to-fund-critical-water-infrastructure/article_223df30e-843a-51c6-a161-1417e4f358f4.html
Camila Pedrosa, Cronkite News
Feb 8, 2022

Pending Supreme Court case could undercut regulation of Rosemont Mine
https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/pending-supreme-court-case-could-undercut-regulation-of-rosemont-mine/article_8e98ea7e-824a-11ec-af21-c74543170b13.html
Tony Davis, Arizona Daily Star
February 8, 2022

Whose handful?
https://www.gvnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/whose-handful/article_1e3eb5e0-8698-11ec-addd-7f342da0facb.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
Green Valley News Letter to the Editor by Stan Hart
February 6, 2022

Letter: Proposed new mines in Santa Rita
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-proposed-new-mines-in-santa-rita/article_18ad5324-8450-11ec-80e0-7bdffbe40b8d.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Dave Gamrath
February 4, 2022

Support the mine
https://www.gvnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/support-the-mine/article_45b4ca10-83aa-11ec-83e2-f3be9f8646c7.html
Green Valley News Letter to the Editor by Robert B. Robinson
February 2, 2022

Tucson digs in against Rosemont copper mine in a dispute over a water storage project
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2022/01/31/tucson-uses-dispute-over-water-recharge-renew-rosemont-opposition/9247404002/
Zayna Syed, Arizona Republic
January 31, 2022

Water for Foreigners
https://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-water-for-foreigners/article_bc0f25d8-74e7-11ec-ba99-2706d6732cf4.html
Arizona Daily Star Letter to the Editor by Diane Stephenson
January 18, 2022

Rosemont gets approval to store CAP water in basins south of Tucson, over city’s objections
https://tucson.com/news/local/rosemont-gets-approval-to-store-cap-water-in-basins-south-of-tucson-over-citys-objections/article_c954fa12-6f45-11ec-9daa-0bd7899ea3fa.html
Tony Davis, Arizona Daily Star
January 8, 2022

Mayor Romero objects to Rosemont Mine water storage in facility owned partially by city
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/mayor-romero-objects-to-rosemont-mine-water-storage-in-facility-owned-partially-by-city
Phil Villarreal, KGUN 9 News
January 7, 2022

Filed Under: News Tagged With: copper, Hudbay, Hudbay Minerals, mining, Rosemont, Rosemont Copper, Santa Rita Mountains, Santa Ritas

January 15th, 2pm – VIRTUAL Symposium on The Copper World Mining Project and Community Health in the Santa Cruz Valley

January 13, 2022 By Lisa Froelich Leave a Comment

We hope you join us (via Zoom): January 15th, 2pm – Symposium on The Copper World Mining Project and Community Health in the Santa Cruz Valley.

This event is presented by The Democratic Club of Quail Creek (DCQC)

Participants are invited to join the fully-virtual discussion via Zoom. Please click here to pre-register and to join the discussion.

About the symposium:

In September 2021, Hudbay Minerals Inc. announced their interest in extracting minerals from a copper sulphide and oxide mineralization deposit at its Copper World site located on private land on the northwest side of Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains. The results from exploratory drilling completed in June 2021, suggest the possibility of seven deposits at the Copper World site.

The Democratic Club of Quail Creek will expand its January meeting for a symposium on Copper World and related Rosemont issues. The meeting will be on Saturday, January 15th, and participation will be fully virtual.

The symposium will include an update on mining proposals in the northern Santa Ritas, discussions on the impact of mining on the Tohono O’odham of the San Xavier District and all communities in the Santa Cruz Valley, the potential for pollution and draw down of the local aquifer, the decline of air quality, the health consequences to the local residents, and the impact on habitat biodiversity.

Speakers will include Austin Nuñez, Chairman, San Xavier District, Tohono O’odham Nation; Charles Stack, Vice-president, NeoChloris, Inc.; Gayle Hartmann, President, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas; John Murphy (Democratic Club of Quail Creek & Field Museum).

To participate, simply click here to pre-register and join the discussion.

We hope to see you there!

Filed Under: Events, News

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Recent Posts

  • LENS ON THE LAND May 16, 2023
  • 1872 MINING LAW May 16, 2023
  • SENATE BILL FAVORS HUDBAY May 16, 2023
  • HUDBAY LEGACY May 16, 2023
  • “DIRTY MINING TRUMPS ALL OTHER USES” ACT May 8, 2023
  • See Our detailed letter to the Arizona State Land Department April 18, 2023
  • HUDBAY’S NEGATIVE IMPACTS TO ALL OUR BACKYARDS  April 18, 2023
  • Guardians of The Santa Ritas April 18, 2023
  • Pima County Urges Arizona State Land Department To Deny Hudbay’s Request To Purchase 200 Acres For Tailings And Rubble  April 11, 2023
  • Federal Memo May Bolster Hudbay’s Position on Rosemont Mine Site March 16, 2023

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COPPER MINE TOXINS

In this video Dr. Hart describes how copper mines fail to prevent toxins concentrated in tailing piles and ponds from polluting our air and water. WATCH NOW video by John Grahame

Copper Mines and Aquifers

Dr. Stanley Hart describes the impact of copper mining on underground aquifers, both how much groundwater is used and where it ends up. WATCH NOW video by John Grahame

Why Mine the Santa Ritas? – Dr. Stanley Hart

Dr. Stanley R. Hart, Scientist Emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, talks with a group from Save the Scenic Santa Ritas about the factors that are causing HudBay Corporation to pursue development of a large open pit mine (“Copper World”) in the Santa Rita Mountains near Sahuarita in southern Arizona. WATCH NOW video by John Grahame

Geology of the Santa Ritas — Dr. Stanley Hart

Dr. Stanley R. Hart talks with a group from Save the Scenic Santa Ritas about the geology of this Sky Island mountain range near Sahuarita in southern Arizona. Dr. Hart is Scientist Emeritus at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. WATCH NOW video by John Grahame

Rosemont/ Copper World Mine Complex News

LENS ON THE LAND

1872 MINING LAW

SENATE BILL FAVORS HUDBAY

HUDBAY LEGACY

“DIRTY MINING TRUMPS ALL OTHER USES” ACT

See Our detailed letter to the Arizona State Land Department

More Posts from this Category

Update on Lake Mead and Lake Powell water levels

Watch the April video update about Lake Mead, new water restrictions in Las Vegas, and news from Lake Powell.
WATCH NOW

Copper World Flyover January 6, 2023 by David Steele

Another shocking sight of the incredible destruction happening on our beautiful Santa Ritas.WATCH VIDEO NOW

Russ McSpadden’s recent fly-over showing mine activity

In Nov 2022 Russ captured recent bulldozing in the Santa Rita Mountains. His video starts over the Rosemont mine project on the east side and then swings over the Copper World project on the west side. WATCH VIDEO NOW

Explore the proposed Rosemont and Copper World projects virtually

Check out Pima County’s updated map of the proposed mine site. Click on any spot on the map for ownership/status information. Mapping details are based on Hudbay’s PEA dated May 1.

Proposed Rosemont/ Copper World Mine Complex

Image compilation of the area

LENS ON THE LAND

Sign the Petition

Please ask Commissioner Arizona State Land Department Ms. Robyn Sahid to deny request by Rosemont Copper Company for the department to sell at auction two noncontiguous parcels of State Trust land totaling 200 acres.

SIGN HERE

Recommended Reading List

Browse HERE over 30 titles of carefully selected books in various categories including: copper, water, mining, wilderness, exploration, and more. Your purchase supports the efforts of the SSSR

January 2023 Powerpoint Presentation

Click here to download (PDF)

Litigation Update

There have been two recent judicial rulings on the Rosemont Copper Company projects — one favorable and one unfavorable.

Click here to learn more

The latest on Hudbay’s Copper World project in the Santa Rita Mountains

Click here to download (PDF)

Where is the Rosemont/Copper World Mine Complex?

Click here for directions

HELP US PROTECT THE SANTA RITAS

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