Save the Scenic Santa Ritas

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

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Culture

Three generations of the Wystrach Family
Mother Vicki (left) & Sister Pam at Santa Rita Abbey
Working cattle at the Empire Ranch (1890’s)
Ofelia Uva Rivas, Tohono O'odham tribal member, at the Rosemont site
Rancher Sarah Barchas
Tohono Oodham Elders
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“As a result of the mine, Ce:wi Duag (Santa Rita Mountains) will be forever degraded and our peoples’ traditions associated with this area will be lost forever. In my view the destruction of cultural sites and landscapes on this scale is nothing short of cultural genocide.”

— Dr. Ned Norris Jr., Chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation

The Cienega Valley and site of the proposed Rosemont Mine has been — and continues to be — a place where cultural identities and traditions are sustained. Prehistoric peoples used the mine site extensively. Recent archaeological investigations found 85 historic sites that would be directly or indirectly impacted by the mine and associated infrastructure.

According to the Tohono O’odham Legislative Council’s Resolution opposing the mine, “The proposed location of the Rosemont Copper Project is on the Nation’s ancestral lands and would signi cantly impact, destroy, or alter cultural and archeological sites containing numerous Archaic, Hohokam, and O’odham funeral objects, sacred objects and other archaeological and cultural items, as well as permanently alter the cultural and natural landscape of the area.”

A letter from the Tohono O’odham Cultural A airs Program in February, 2010, to then Forest Supervisor Jeanine Derby states, “The Santa Rita Mountains have been and are still used as a place for the Tohono O’odham to go to visit the sites of their ancestors, to collect basket-making materials, to collect plant medicines, to hunt and collect plant foods, and to visit shrines. If this mine development is allowed to move forward, the Tohono O’odham use of the area would no longer be possible.”

None of the 12 tribal nations and communities that were consulted on the project signed a mitigation agreement with the Forest Service under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

A key historical tradition of the Cienega Valley is ranching, an activity that remains important to this day. The grasslands of the Cienega Valley represent some of the best rangeland in Arizona, and many families in the valley rely on ranching for their livelihood and cultural identity. The exhibit introduces just a few of the ranchers working in the Cienega Valley south and east of the mine site.

Recent Posts

  • A great win today for our Santa Rita Mountains and for American public lands! May 12, 2022
  • “Uncelebrate!” The 1872 Mining Law is an antiquated law! Support Rep. Grijalva’s and Sen. Heinrich’s legislation, the Clean Energy Minerals Reforms Act of 2022 instead! May 10, 2022
  • Oak Flat event here in Tucson, May 11, 2022 May 9, 2022
  • Dismissing Native American concerns, Hudbay keeps moving dirt (AZ Luminaria feature) May 7, 2022
  • Arizona Public Media’s “The Buzz” interviews Save The Scenic Santa Ritas for episode on mining. May 6, 2022

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RSS Latest from Rosemont Mine Truth

  • Hudbay says it is developing plans to build at least three open-pit copper mines on west side of Santa Rita Mountains October 6, 2021
  • Hudbay tells investors and analysts that it owns enough land to mine the western side of the Santa Rita Mountains August 12, 2021
  • Rosemont will destroy Santa Rita Mountains to export copper overseas May 18, 2021
  • Pima County reaffirms resolution opposing Rosemont Mine April 19, 2019

Selected Lens on the Land Photographs

Land
Members of the Tohono O'odham Legislative Council, by Jeanne S. Broome
Night Sky
Water Resources
People
Economy
Biodiversity
Hiking at the Rosemont Site, by Dennis Caldwell
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Litigation Update

Oral arguments for our case before the 9th Circuit Appeals Court were held on February 1, 2021. Because of COVID, the oral arguments were virtual, and we could listen in. You can watch the recording here.

We cannot predict when we will hear a decision, but we expect to have to wait several months.

Click here for more updates

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