Save the Scenic Santa Ritas

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

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Background

November 13, 2011 By Administrator Leave a Comment

Welcome to Save the Scenic Santa Ritas!

Save the Scenic Santa Ritas is a non-profit organization that is working to protect the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains from environmental degradation caused by mining and mineral exploration activities. Our current activities are centered around the proposed Rosemont Copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.

Act Now! Sign our online petition and join our alert list!

Sign now and join now!

These mines have NOT been approved! Permitting takes many years and requires numerous approvals from government agencies.With YOUR HELP, these mines CAN be stopped.Raise your voice! Keep our public lands public!

Check out Rosemont Mine Truth for the latest developments

Rosemont Mine Truth is a project of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas to call attention to some of the discrepancies in Rosemont Copper’s PR spin and provide the public the Truth about this misguided project.

Find out who your elected Representatives are and ask them where they stand on Rosemont

Click here to find your representatives in government and ask them where they stand on Rosemont.  Feel free to share with them your views as well.

Keep our public lands public

The Rosemont Valley in the Santa Ritas is threatened by the Rosemont open pit copper mine proposal. The Patagonia Mountains and San Rafael Valley are threatened by exploration and mining proposals near Harshaw and Duquesne, and in the watershed of the Santa Cruz River.

Augusta Resource/Rosemont Copper wants the Forest Service to let them use roughly 3,500 acres of Coronado National Forest land as a dumpsite for thousands of tons of rock which would be excavated from the open pit. This dumping, along with water, air and noise pollution and increased heavy truck traffic, will drastically curtail or totally eliminate the current extensive recreational use of this part of the Santa Ritas by hikers, hunters, rock hounding groups, bicyclists, equestrians, off-road enthusiasts, and birders. If the Patagonia Mountains and San Rafael Valley are also impacted by mining activities, miles of public land in these areas would no longer be available for public recreation and enjoyment.

The Opposition

The Pima County and Santa Cruz County Boards of Supervisors, the towns of Oro Valley, Sahuarita, and Patagonia, the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council, the City of Tucson, the Hopi Tribe and the Tohono O’odham Nation have all passed resolutions opposing the proposed Rosemont Mine.

Over 12,000 people have signed petitions opposing the Rosemont Copper proposal, and over 7,000 have signed in opposition to mining in Santa Cruz County.

Our U. S. Representatives Gabrielle Giffords and Raúl Grijalva, as well as many state legislators, also support the protection and withdrawal of these important and scenic areas of the Coronado National Forest from the degradation of open pit mining.

Protect Southern Arizona’s Quality of Life

Scenic landscapes, open space, clean air, clean water, and abundant wildlife are what make Southern Arizona so special. The Santa Rita Mountains are home to 32 endangered or sensitive species; the Patagonia Mountains are home to 20. Southeast Santa Cruz County contains some of the only preserved remnants of the original grassland/forest landscapes of Southern Arizona. Open pit mining would permanently destroy wildlife corridors and habitat, and threaten our clean air and water.

Water Resources

Water in the desert is a finite resource. Mines use many thousands of gallons of our precious groundwater every day. Mines have unexpected leaks and spills than can contain toxic levels of heavy metals. There is NO guarantee that groundwater beneath a mine site or surface water and riparian areas downstream would NOT be impacted during mining or in the future.

Keep our Economy Sustainable

In the past, mining was a significant contributor to Arizona’s rural economy, but mining now contributes less than one percent to our state economy. The income to Pima and Santa Cruz Counties from recreation, tourism, and birdwatching far exceeds the economic benefits from mining. Scenic, pristine landscapes, clean air and water, wildlife, and other environmental attractions foster long term residency, tourism, and related industries. Mining is an end use industry. After ore bodies are played out, the mines, along with their economic activities are gone, leaving the natural landscape decimated forever.

 

Filed Under: Background

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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