Why oppose the Rosemont Mine?
* The Rosemont Copper Project would be located 30 miles southeast of Tucson, in Pima County, on approximately 995 acres of private land, 3,670 acres of National Forest land, 15 acres of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and 75 acres of State Trust land. This land and probably much of the surrounding areas would be lost to public use forever.
* With the outdated 1872 Mining Law still in place, an estimated 230,000 acres of public land in Arizona have already been sold to private interests for $2.50 or $5.00 per acre.
* The EPA reports that in 2005, metal or hardrock mining in Arizona released over 39.4 million pounds of toxins into the environment.
* Pima County commissioned and submitted a hydrogeological study to the Coronado National Forest that raised the threat of surrounding groundwater and surface water depletion from pumping out an open pit copper mine, as well as potential leaching of pollutants into groundwater.
* The Sky Islands of the Coronado National Forest, which includes the Santa Rita Mountains, are a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot.
* The Santa Rita Mountains and surrounding desert and grassland seas are globally recognized for their diversity of birds, reptiles, amphibians, bees and plants. The Santa Ritas are an "Important Birding Area" according to the Audubon Society.
* Augusta has no track record in mining and the mining industry has a dismal environmental record.
* Augusta wants to fill in Barrel, Wasp, McCleary, and Scholefield Canyons with their mine waste, yet claims no impact to the Cienega Creek watershed. The mine site is located in this watershed.
* Of the 117 million dollars Augusta claims in community commitments, 67 million dollars of that is actually just costs associated with the business of mining.
* Augusta claims 350 jobs, but mining jobs are transitory as part of the mining bust and boom cycle. In reality, the mine will destroy recreational opportunities and the jobs that depend on them will be lost forever.
* There will be negative impacts on the local tourism based economy.
* There will be noise pollution, air pollution and water contamination.
* There will be increased truck traffic on local roads and highways, creating dangerous situations for commuters, tourists, school buses, and local residents.
* The mine will cause destruction of wildlife habitat, wildlife movement corridors, native plants and ecosystems.
* Recreational use of the area will be destroyed, resulting in the elimination or restriction of biking, hiking, hunting, camping, and bird watching.
* There will be irreparable devastation of the scenic landscapes and viewsheds.
* Our National Forest lands are more valuable to citizens of Southern Arizona as they are now, than they would be as open pit mines. Open space, recreation and water quality protection are more important uses for the Santa Ritas, Patagonias, Canelo Hills and San Rafael Valley. Recent studies have shown that many communities across the United States feel this way. From a report titled "Assessing the Wealth of Nature", 2006.
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In recent years, it has become clear that there is substantial—and growing—support for protecting undeveloped lands.
From 2001 to 2005, residents of some 40 states considered more than 850 state, county or municipal ballot measures supporting
conservation of natural areas and undeveloped lands. About 74 percent of these measures were successfully adopted, authorizing total
funding of more than $14 billion.
* Residents of urban and suburban communities throughout the United States consistently cite environmental benefits as the primary
reasons they value these undeveloped lands. Of the environmental benefits provided by these natural areas, wildlife habitat onservation
and water quality protection rank highest in surveys, followed by growth management, farmland preservation, aesthetics and
recreational opportunities.
* Surveys have also found that residents understand that undeveloped natural areas have greater ecological value than do urban
open spaces and working farmland, especially for biodiversity conservation. Understanding residents’ priorities for preserving undeveloped
natural areas provides a foundation for assessing the economic value of the public benefits of these lands."
*Impacts from mining the Rosemont Valley or Patagonia Mountains will extend beyond the patented claims and actual surface disturbances on Forest Service land, potentially affecting Pima County restoration and preservation projects at Cienega Creek Natural Preserve and Davidson Canyon, and the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. (Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan Reports)
*The copper and molybdenum deposit in the Rosemont Valley is small and will be mined out rapidly (16-20 years based on Augusta Resource projections) compared to the mineral deposits in Green Valley which have been producing since the 1950's and will produce for another 30 years. Because of its small size it requires relatively high grade ore to be economically feasible and will, therefore, be susceptible to shutdowns in response to fluctuating commodity prices. At this time in Pima County's history, mining in the Rosemont Valley is not the type of development that Pima County should support for use of its scare natural resources.
*In November 2000, the Coronado National Forest Supervisor and the Chair of the County Board of Supervisors executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperative planning related to the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP). The Forest Service has stated that they will be seeking constructive comments that they can put to use when evaluating the environmental impacts during the NEPA process. The SDCP should be a guiding document in evaluating these environmental impacts.
*The Rosemont Valley is biologically and hydrologically connected to Davidson Canyon, a nominated Unique Water (Outstanding Water) of the State, containing federally designated endangered species, and is adjacent to a proposed Pima County Natural Preserve and Mountain Park. (Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, Parks)
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Mining land use in Rosemont Valley is contrary to the objectives and recommendations of Pima County's Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan which identifies the Rosemont Valley and environs as a "biological core area and riparian habitat", a "riparian restoration/rehabilitation" area, and an area with "priority archeological sites", "priority archeological site complexes", and "national registry sites"
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The December 2004 Pima County report titled "Preserving the Santa Rita Rosemont Ranch" describes in detail the wildlife, vegetation, riparian, water resource, recreational, cultural, and scenic values that would be lost by mining in the Rosemont Valley. The Santa Ritas have been recognized for their important biological values, and are listed as an Important Birding Area (IBA).
