Southern Arizona’s Mountain Empire: Sanctuary for Rare and Unusual Species

Southern Arizona’s Mountain Empire: Sanctuary for Rare and Unusual Species

Imagine a little-known national treasure — a largely wild land home to ocelots, exotic and imperiled birds like elegant trogons and Mexican spotted owls, imperiled reptiles and amphibians like the threatened Chiricuahua leopard frog, and El Jefe, the only jaguar currently living in the United States. This is the Mountain Empire of southern Arizona, a place as special as Yosemite or Yellowstone, and worthy of international recognition. Extending across the border into northern Sonora, Mexico, this region is bounded by mountains that rise from the flat desert floor to touch the sky. With one of the richest concentrations of biodiversity in the U.S., the Mountain Empire is a sanctuary for imperiled species. But even a sanctuary can be threatened.

Mountain Empire Map

Mountain Empire, © Thunderforest

Refuges in the Sky

One reason the Mountain Empire has so many rare and unique species is the rugged sky island mountain ranges. Each range, like the iconic Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson, stands alone surrounded by desert flatlands like an island in the sea, with mountains so tall that they span climate zones from hot, dry desert to moist forests at higher altitudes. Together, these characteristics give the mountains their nicknames of “sky islands.” For many species, the sky islands are refuges where human impacts have been relatively small. Streams rise from the rocks, nurturing rare fish, frogs, snakes, and nesting habitat for birds like threatened yellow-billed cuckoos, southwestern willow fly catchers and hummingbirds.

Western yellow billed cuckoo

Western yellow-billed cuckoo, © Creed Clayton/USFWS

There are so many hummingbird species in the Mountain Empire that the Tucson Audubon Society founded the Paton Hummingbird Center, dedicated to conserving hummingbirds and other local biodiversity.

Birders visit from countries around the world for the chance to see so many species in one place. One of Defenders’ board members, Dr. Ron Pulliam, works with the Mountain Empire group Borderlands Restoration to restore the plants that hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and moths need along Harshaw and Sonoita Creeks in the Patagonia Mountains. The globally imperiled Patagonia eyed silk moth, once widespread in native grasslands, is now making its last U.S. stand in the Patagonia Mountains. The threatened southwestern willow flycatcher, once common near Tucson in now-vanished gallery forest along the Santa Cruz River, is today found higher up in riparian vegetation along still-flowing mountain streams.

One of the gems of the Mountain Empire is the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area: 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands, oak-studded hills, along with the Cienegas Creek wetlands. This is home to the world’s largest population of endangered Gila topminnow and other federally threatened and endangered fish, frogs and snakes. Las Cienegas provides a vital corridor of protected lands that connects the Santa Rita and Whetstone sky islands.

The most revered animal in the Mountain Empire is El Jefe, a powerful male jaguar. Video of him prowling along a stream in the Santa Rita Mountains recently went viral, with at least 20 million viewers. He and other jaguars and ocelots most likely came north to the U.S. from Sonora, Mexico in the past decade, travelling along sky island mountain corridors with little human activity.

jaguar

Jaguar, © Barry Draper

Threats to the Empire

Sadly, as much healthy habitat as there is in this region, there’s also a problem: Industrial mining. The Mountain Empire is riddled with old abandoned mines and grandiose plans for new ones. As you can imagine, mining has a massive impact on an ecosystem, from the land itself, to the noise that can scare wildlife away, to the traffic that would come in and out of the mining project. And perhaps most importantly, there’s the water.

Throughout the Southwest, so much groundwater has been pumped for agriculture, industry, and towns and cities that water tables have dropped and streams and ponds have dried up, desiccating wildlife habitat in a land already parched. This is why so many water-dependent species have vanished, or are threatened or endangered. In Arizona, 20 of 35 surviving native fish species are endangered and one is already extinct. Mining presents yet another threat to the water supply, using up billions of gallons of groundwater over the course of years, and often contaminating it with pollutants.

santa-rita-mts

Santa Rita Mts, © Larry Jones/USFS

The diversity of the “sacred” Santa Rita Mountains in the Coronado National Forest is threatened by mining interests.

The giant open-pit Rosemont Mine is planned for the Mountain Empire’s Santa Rita Mountains, where it would destroy habitat that is home to El Jefe and endangered ocelots. It would also decrease the water for the topminnow and other species in the Las Cienegas wetlands.

Two other mines are planned for the Patagonia Mountains in the center of the Mountain Empire. A Canadian company (ironically called Arizona Mining) is planning the Hermosa mine, which means beautiful in Spanish. There is nothing beautiful about this proposed silver mine: If done by the most economical open-pit method, it would gash a huge 4,000 foot wide hole in the mountains and dump the waste rock on the ground. A recent study by Earthworks and the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance estimated that an open-pit mine here would take as much as 1.2 billion gallons of water per year from nearby streams and wells, harming wildlife as well as the local economy, which is based largely on ranching and tourism. Exploratory drilling (to prove the minerals are worth mining) is already taking place right next to Harshaw Creek, up against the protected activity center for a pair of threatened Mexican spotted owls and habitat for threatened yellow-billed cuckoos.

Thankfully, none of these projects are going unchallenged. Defenders and the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) are currently reviewing and preparing formal federal comments on a proposal by Arizona Mining to expand exploratory drilling onto Forest Service land. Last year, Defenders and PARA also joined in a lawsuit that overturned the Forest Service’s illegal approval of plans by another mining company, Regal Resources, to drill exploration cores along Harshaw Creek.

The Mountain Empire is an irreplaceable landscape in the Southwest. Defenders will keep working with local activists to monitor toxic spills and stop illegal mining that would harm the jaguars, ocelots, and other rare species that make it their home.

rob-peters-staff-profile-125x123Rob Peters, Senior Representative, Southwest Office
As a jack-of-all trades in the Tucson Office, Rob collaborates with the Defenders Renewable Energy Group, helping evaluate and influence renewable energy policies and projects to ensure that renewable energy is developed wisely, with minimum harm to natural ecosystems. He also works on jaguar issues, helping plan for the eventual return of a viable population in the U.S., and he is the lead on Defenders efforts to safeguard Arizona’s Mountain Empire, a Defenders’ priority area surrounding the town of Patagonia. This area contains some of the last best native grasslands in the Southwest, along with important habitat for jaguar, Mexican spotted owl, and other endangered species.

Army Corps Recommends Denial of Essential Permit for Rosemont Mine

Army Corps Recommends Denial of Essential Permit for Rosemont Mine

Massive Mine Threatens America’s Only Known Jaguar, Local Water Supplies

Jaguar_c_JonathanTroungIn an important development in the effort to save America’s only known jaguar, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Los Angeles regional office has recommended denial of an essential permit for the proposed Rosemont copper mine in southern Arizona. The denial recommendation was forwarded this week to the Corps’ San Francisco office, which has said it will issue a final decision within six months. The massive open pit copper mine would destroy thousands of acres of public land in the heart of the home territory of El Jefe, America’s only known wild jaguar, but it cannot proceed without a Clean Water Act permit Rosemont is seeking.

“It’s very encouraging to see the Corps moving toward denial of this permit,” said Randy Serraglio, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The record is clear — the Rosemont mine would pollute Arizona’s air, drain its water supply and do tremendous damage to its wildlife and wild places that could never be adequately mitigated. The Corps has apparently concluded what we’ve known all along — that the Rosemont mine is simply not in the public interest.

The Army Corps administers Section 404 of the Clean Water Act under authority delegated by the Environmental Protection Agency, which has repeatedly recommended against issuing the permit. EPA officials have sharply criticized the mining company’s mitigation plan as woefully inadequate and identified a litany of questions and cited problems surrounding the controversial mine. EPA also retains the authority to veto the Clean Water Act permit should it be issued.

“The Corps has studied the Rosemont mine proposal for several years now, but no matter how many ways you look at this boondoggle, it doesn’t add up for Arizonans or the beautiful place they live,” said Serraglio. “In this age of climate change and decades of ongoing drought, the threats to our water, in particular, are too egregious to allow this mine to proceed.”

See rare video footage of El Jefe and learn more about the fight to stop the Rosemont mine.

 

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Conservation Wins in Court over Exploratory Drilling in Arizona’s Mountain Empire

Conservation Wins in Court over Exploratory Drilling in Arizona’s Mountain Empire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Courtney Sexton, csexton@defenders.org, 202-772-0253

Wendy Russell, wendy@patagoniaalliance.org, 520-477-2308

Federal court flips the off switch on Forest Service’s approval of “Sunnyside” project in Coronado National Forest

Tucson, Ariz. —A district court in Arizona put the brakes on an environmentally destructive exploratory drilling project in the Coronado National Forest near Patagonia, Arizona, saying the Forest Service failed to conduct the appropriate environmental review before fast-tracking the approval of the “Sunnyside” project. In October 2014 conservation groups Defenders of Wildlife and the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) filed a lawsuit claiming the Forest Service’s approval violated environmental laws and posed a threat to endangered species in the area.

 

Statement from Rob Peters, Defenders of Wildlife:

Pictured: Ocelot by Steve Harris

Pictured: Ocelot by Steve Harris

“This is a great victory for the many species of imperiled wildlife that call the Coronado National Forest and the Mountain Empire region home, especially the jaguar, Mexican spotted owl, ocelot and yellow-billed cuckoo, all of which are already at risk from multiple projects in the region.

“The court’s ruling against this destructive mining operation is the best thing that could have happened for the residents of Patagonia and for the incredible and diverse wildlife in the area.”

 

Statement from Wendy Russell, Patagonia Area Resource Alliance:

We’re not going to stand by and let the Forest Service rubber-stamp these mining projects in the Patagonia Mountains. There’s too much at stake for both our community and wildlife. This is the second time we’ve had to take them to court, and the second time we’ve won.

Defenders and PARA were assisted in the case by Roger Flynn, an attorney with the Western Mining Action Project. Flynn noted the importance of local residents’ right to participate in the Forest Service’s review of mineral projects on public land – residents were excluded from this process in the fast-tracking of the approval, a violation of federal law.

 

Background:

The Canadian mining company Regal Resources’ Sunnyside Project (an exploratory mining operation) involves drilling six exploratory holes for copper deposits up to 6,500 feet deep roughly five miles from the town of Patagonia, Arizona. The Forest Service issued a “categorical exclusion” decision which essentially fast-tracked the mineral drilling exploration and approved the project without involving the public or taking a hard look at the project’s impacts to endangered species. The decision authorized Regal Resources to run its drill rigs for at least five months in sensitive endangered species’ habitat. Loud mineral drilling operations and construction would occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week (using artificial lighting at night) with total project operations and reclamation lasting up to three years.

In January of this year, the Forest Service temporarily withdrew approval for the Sunnyside project until it completed consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the project would significantly affect the western yellow-billed cuckoo, which is listed as a federally threatened species. After completing the consultation and concluding that there would be no significant effects, the Forest Service re-issued its approval for drilling to proceed in April, 2015.

 

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.

The Patagonia Area Resource Alliance is a citizen watchdog organization that monitors the activities of mining companies, as well as ensures government agencies’ due diligence, to make sure their actions have long-term, sustainable benefits to our public lands, our water, and the town of Patagonia. For more information visit www.patagoniaalliance.org and follow us on Twitter @PARAalliance.

Court hearing against Sunnyside mining exploration in Patagonia Mountains

Court hearing against Sunnyside mining exploration in Patagonia Mountains

federal court in TucsonThe Patagonia Area Resource Alliance and Defenders of Wildlife were in federal court in Tucson last Thursday to present oral arguments against the Forest Service’s unlawful approval of a mining exploration project in the Patagonia Mountains on the Coronado National Forest.

Over 20 people attended the court hearing in support of PARA, Defenders of Wildlife and the Patagonia Mountains.

Canadian mining company Regal Resources’ Sunnyside Project involves drilling six exploratory holes for copper deposits up to 6,500 feet deep roughly five miles from the Town of Patagonia.

The Forest Service issued a “categorical exclusion” decision which essentially fast-tracked the mineral drilling exploration and approved the project without doing any environmental assessments. The decision authorized Regal Resources to run drilling for one year, with a seven month stoppage during the breeding seasons of the Mexican spotted owl and Yellow-billed cuckoo.

Defenders of Wildlife Lawyer Jay Tutchton argued that the Forest Service’s approval of the Sunnyside project violates environmental laws and poses a potential threat to local, endangered species. The extensive mineral drilling and construction would run 24 hours a day, seven days a week with total project operations and reclamation lasting up to 3 years.

Mexican Spotted Owl © Glen E Goodwin

Mexican Spotted Owl ©Gooch Goodwin

The Patagonia Mountains support some of the world’s most threatened and endangered wildlife, including the jaguar, ocelot, lesser long-nosed bat, Mexican spotted owl, and yellow-billed cuckoo. Of particular concern is the Mexican spotted owl “Protected Activity Center” (PAC), prime habitat which is supposed to have the greatest protection by law and is occupied by the owls year-round. One of the project’s proposed drilling sites is less than 200 yards from a “nesting core area” of the PAC. The noise caused by the drills would be louder than a chainsaw and would disrupt about one-third of the Mexican spotted owls’ PAC, as well as the migratory corridors of jaguars and ocelots, Tutchton argued.

The Forest Service asked the court to dismiss the complaint. Forest Service lawyer Julia Thrower claimed the decision to grant a categorical exclusion complied with the National Environmental Protection Act and was not arbitrary or capricious.

“We’re optimistic that the judge will agree that the Forest Service’s attempt to avoid extra paperwork by skipping environmental assessments violates the law and places local, imperiled wildlife in even more jeopardy,” said Wendy Russell of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance.

U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Marquez said that she would take the matter under advisement and would issue her ruling before the proposed October 1 start date.

Sounds of Music Bring Awareness to the Mountain Empire

Sounds of Music Bring Awareness to the Mountain Empire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kevin Pakulis Band to play benefit concert for Friends of the Mountain Empire, with special guest appearance from Congressman Raúl Grijalva

TUCSON, ARIZ. — The Kevin Pakulis Band will play a benefit concert to raise funds and awareness for the Friends of the Mountain Empire on Saturday, May 9th at the Hotel Congress in Tucson. Tickets for the magical evening of music can be purchased now to support the organizations – Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, Sky Island Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife, Tucson Audubon Society, Center for Biological Diversity and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas – that are working to protect and preserve the habitat, water, and wildlife of the Mountain Empire from new mining in the Patagonia Mountains, Santa Rita Mountains, Canelo Hills, and the San Rafael Valley of southern Arizona.

Kevin Pakulis

The event will provide a unique and exciting opportunity to hear the soulful music of Tucson-based, award-winning Americana singer-songwriter Kevin Pakulis, while supporting the incredible ecological and cultural biodiversity of the region.

“Our goal is to draw attention to the local organizations that play a vital role in protecting and restoring wild places in southern Arizona. More specifically, to draw attention to the message they bring – a message that deserves careful consideration, if not enthusiastic action,” said Pakulis.

Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis. photo US FWS

Ocelot, photo US FWS

Arizona’s southwestern Mountain Empire is a hidden gem of the country, recognized for its beauty, uniqueness and ecological importance. The region is rich in wildlife and plant diversity and supports some of the world’s most imperiled wildlife including the jaguar, ocelot, lesser long-nosed bat, Mexican spotted owl and yellow-billed cuckoo. Sadly, destructive mining projects that continue to be proposed and approved threaten not only endangered wildlife, but the water, health and safety of local communities.

The benefit will include a special guest appearance from Congressman Raúl Grijalva, who will speak to the importance of conserving the natural and local communities of the Mountain Empire in the face of such threats.

 

About the Event

When: Saturday, May 9th, 7:00pm – 11:00pm
Where: Copper Hall in Hotel Congress, 311 E Congress St, Tucson, AZ 85701
Who: Kevin Pakulis Band, Friends of the Mountain Empire, Congressman Raúl Grijalva
Tickets: $20 Advance/$25 At the door

For more information and to purchase advance tickets, please visit: http://www.patagoniaalliance.org/friends-of-the-mountain-empire-benefit-concert-with-kevin-pakulis/

Friends of the Mountain Empire Benefit with Kevin Pakulis

Friends of the Mountain Empire

Forest Service Authorizes Urgent Clean Up of Abandoned Lead Queen Mine In Patagonia Mountains, Arizona

Forest Service Authorizes Urgent Clean Up of Abandoned Lead Queen Mine In Patagonia Mountains, Arizona

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Regional Forester Issues Time Critical Removal Action Approval Memo

Patagonia, Arizona – Yesterday, the Southwestern Regional Office of the US Forest Service issued an Action Memo for “Time Critical” clean up of the abandoned Lead Queen mine in the Patagonia Mountains on the Coronado National Forest, approximately 6 miles south of the town of Patagonia, Arizona.

Members of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) discovered the abandoned mine over-flowing with toxic, orange sludge into a tributary of Harshaw Creek, last September. PARA documented the spill and notified authorities. The Harshaw Creek tributary eventually flows into the Town of Patagonia, Sonoita Creek and Patagonia Lake.

As the land owners of the Lead Queen mine, the Forest Service was issued two Notice of Violations from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality: “Addition of a pollutant to navigable waters from a point source without a permit,” and “Discharge of storm water associated with an industrial activity without a permit.”

Lead Queen spill 2014Test results showed off-the-chart concentrations of lead and arsenic in water, soil and waste rock samples at the Lead Queen site. High concentrations of zinc, copper and aluminum were also found. All of these heavy metals are listed as “hazardous substances” and can cause serious – or even deadly – health issues. The red-orange color of the sludge was due to extreme concentrations of iron.

The USFS document stated the clean up aims to reduce potential exposure of the hazardous heavy metals to “human populations, animals or the food chain.”

“This is a good start, but I’ve seen many more abandoned mines in the Patagonia Mountains that also need to be cleaned up. The mining industry has a well-earned reputation for just walking away from mines when they’re done.” Gooch Goodwin, native Patagonian and PARA board member.

jaguar photo by Nathan RupertThe Forest Service document also acknowledges that the “Patagonia Mountains have high levels of biodiversity and are home to a variety of species protected under the Endangered Species Act including jaguar, ocelot, lesser long-nosed bat, Mexican spotted owl, western yellow-billed cuckoo, Sonora tiger salamander, and the northern Mexican gartersnake.”

It additionally states, “the area is best-known and most popular places for birding in the U.S. Bird enthusiast who come from all over the world to catch a glimpse of more than 300 species of birds, including many Neotropical species that migrate, nest, and live in this unique habitat.”

Clean up of the five acre site is expected to start Spring 2015 and be completed before the coming monsoon season to avoid erosion and flushing of heavy metals further downstream.

lead queen mine location

USFS map of Lead Queen mine location

Read USFS Lead Queen Mine Removal Action Memorandum

For further information regarding the USFS Removal Action Memorandum, please contact Eli Curiel, P.E., On-Scene Coordinator, at 520-388-8413; or Maria McGaha, P.E., Regional Environmental Engineer, at 505-842-3837.

 

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The Patagonia Area Resource Alliance is a citizen watchdog organization that monitors the activities of mining companies, as well as ensures government agencies’ due diligence, to make sure their actions have long-term, sustainable benefits to our public lands, our water, and the town of Patagonia. For more information visit www.patagoniaalliance.org and follow us on Twitter @PARAalliance.

Agency Rescinds Approval of Destructive “Sunnyside” Mining Project Based on Conservation Concerns

Agency Rescinds Approval of Destructive “Sunnyside” Mining Project Based on Conservation Concerns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Plug Pulled on Proposed “Sunnyside” project in Arizona’s Coronado National Forest

Tucson, Ariz. — Today the U.S. Forest Service temporarily put the brakes on an environmentally hazardous mining project in southern Arizona’s Coronado National Forest that it previously approved in August. The Forest Service’s decision follows a similar move by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which had originally given the project the green light in August and then withdrew its approval in December. The agency decisions to withdraw their approvals of the Canadian mining company Regal Resources’ “Sunnyside Project” are based on the project’s potential violation of multiple environmental laws.

jaguar photo by Nathan Rupert

photo by Nathan Rupert

“The agencies knew from the beginning that this project could have a devastating impact on the local wildlife and habitat in this unique corner of the country,” said Rob Peters of Defenders of Wildlife. “The Coronado is home to an incredible diversity of imperiled species like the jaguar, ocelot and yellow-billed cuckoo, all which are already at risk from multiple projects in the region.”

“No one understood why they approved this project to begin with, but for the sake of Patagonia’s residents and wildlife, we are glad to see that they’ve reconsidered,” added Peters.

In October conservation groups Defenders of Wildlife and the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance filed a lawsuit claiming the federal agencies’ approvals the Sunnyside project violated environmental laws and posed a threat to endangered species and the safety of drinking water for local residents.

“Sunnyside could have been a disaster not only for our region’s unique wildlife, but also for the residents living directly downstream and the municipal watershed of the town of Patagonia,” said Wendy Russell of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. “Projects like Sunnyside use and abuse a tremendous amount of the local water supply and create long-term destruction of wildlife habitat. The people and wildlife of our national forests deserve more, and the agencies know that.”

Click to hear from environmental attorneys on why they sue.

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Contact:  Courtney Sexton, csexton@defenders.org, 202-772-0253
Wendy Russell, wendy@patagoniaalliance.org, 520-477-2308

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1.1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.

The Patagonia Area Resource Alliance is a citizen watchdog organization that monitors the activities of mining companies, as well as ensures government agencies’ due diligence, to make sure their actions have long-term, sustainable benefits to our public lands, our water, and the town of Patagonia. For more information visit www.patagoniaalliance.org and follow us on Twitter @PARAalliance.

Conservationists turn to the Courts to Battle Mining in Patagonia on behalf of Imperiled Wildlife and Local Residents

Conservationists turn to the Courts to Battle Mining in Patagonia on behalf of Imperiled Wildlife and Local Residents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 29, 2014

Contact: Courtney Sexton, csexton@defenders.org, 202-772-0253
Wendy Russell, wendy@patagoniaalliance.org, 520-477-2308

Groups file complaint against Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service for approval of mineral drilling project in Arizona’s Coronado National Forest

TUCSON, ARIZ. – Defenders of Wildlife and the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance today asked a federal court to hold the United States Forest Service and United States Fish and Wildlife Service accountable for their unlawful approval of the “Sunnyside” mineral exploration drilling project in southern Arizona’s Coronado National Forest, in the Alum Gulch area of the Patagonia Mountains. The groups say the approval of the Canadian mining company Regal Resources’ Sunnyside Project violates environmental laws and poses a potential threat to endangered species and the safety of drinking water for local residents. The Sunnyside Project involves drilling multiple exploratory holes up to 6,500 feet deep in one of the most biologically diverse mountain ranges in Arizona. The extensive drilling and construction would run 24/7 for months on end, and the total project operations could last up to 3 years.

Mexican Spotted Owl © Gooch Goodwin

Mexican spotted owl, ©Gooch Goodwin

The Coronado National Forest, the Patagonia Mountains and the watersheds in this region support some of the world’s most imperiled wildlife, including the jaguar, ocelot, lesser long-nosed bat, Mexican spotted owl, and yellow-billed cuckoo. Of particular concern is the Mexican spotted owl “Protected Activity Center” (PAC) in the Alum Gulch area, a site which is supposed to have the greatest protection of the law. One of the project’s proposed drilling sites is only one-tenth of a mile from the “nesting core area” of this PAC.

“The potential damage from the Sunnyside Project, especially coupled with other damaging mining projects in the region, could have devastating impacts on this imperiled wildlife and the habitat they depend on, as well as the water supply for local residents,” said Rob Peters of Defenders of Wildlife. “This is a national forest and imperiled wildlife and their habitats on the forest should be protected— not polluted by expanded drilling operations.”

Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis. photo US FWS

Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis. photo US FWS

Patagonia area residents are dependent on water originating from Alum Gulch, an area which is also designated as critical habitat for the jaguar and Mexican spotted owl. The imperiled ocelot, lesser long-nosed bat, and yellow-billed cuckoo have also been observed near the project area.

“The Sunnyside Project could have tremendous adverse impacts on local wildlife and local residents, affecting the floodplains and the municipal watershed of the town of Patagonia,” said Wendy Russell of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. “The drilling will require 12,500 gallons of water per day, an amount approximately equal to ten percent of the daily water usage of the Town of Patagonia. This project threatens not only endangered wildlife, but our community’s water, health and safety.”

Click to hear from environmental attorneys on why they sue.

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1.1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.

The Patagonia Area Resource Alliance is a citizen watchdog organization that monitors the activities of mining companies, as well as ensures government agencies’ due diligence, to make sure their actions have long-term, sustainable benefits to our public lands, our water, and the town of Patagonia. For more information visit www.patagoniaalliance.org and follow us on Twitter @PARAalliance.

Sunnyside Drilling Proposal Gets Go Ahead From Forest Service

Sunnyside Drilling Proposal Gets Go Ahead From Forest Service

Hiking Humboldt Canyon

Sierra Vista District Ranger Mark Ruggiero signed a Decision Memorandum (DM) for the Regal Resources Sunnyside exploratory mineral drilling project granting them a Categorical Exclusion and allowing a September 2014 start date. The project is located on the Coronado National Forest in Humboldt Canyon in the Patagonia Mountains and 6 miles south of the town of Patagonia, Arizona.

The Decision Memo followed a second round of scoping initiated in July 2013. “Seventy-eight comments were received during the 2013 30-day scoping period,” according to a August 28 email issued by CNF Geologist Patrick Morton. Scoping for this project also occurred in 2011. The Forest Service considered these prior comments for their analyses as well.

A Categorical Exclusion project is considered to NOT have a significant impact, either individually or collectively. It’s a category that is exempted from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements to prepare an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement both of which would analyze potential impacts of a proposal.

Humboldt Canyon Water

The potential negative effects that the Sunnyside drilling would have on the proposed Town of Patagonia Municipal Supply Watershed was one of the issues that raised by the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. The Decision Memo (DM) states, “…the Town of Patagonia municipal supply may be affected. Due to the relatively limited duration and scale of the project, quantitative scientific studies have not been performed by the Forest Service regarding the water supply for the project and the possible effects to the town.” The DM concludes, “since the location of the water supply is unknown, the water supply of the Town of Patagonia may be totally unaffected as the supply source may be drawn from an entirely different groundwater basin.” We find this conclusion absurd.

Mexican Spotted Owl © Glen E Goodwin

Mexican Spotted Owl © Glen E Goodwin

PARA also submitted concerns about the Sunnyside drilling project’s effects on endangered species and their habitat. The DM stated that the Biological Assessment and Biological Evaluation determined that the drilling “‘may affect, not likely to adversely affect’ for jaguar, ocelot, lesser Long-nosed bat, and Mexican spotted owl.” The mineral drilling project is located in protected critical habitat for both the jaguar and the Mexican spotted owl.

Absent from the DM was any commentary on cumulative impacts in regards to Wildcat Silver’s Hermosa drilling proposal, other drilling proposals, other activity in the Patagonia Mountains, or ongoing drought conditions.

Regal Resources must post receipt of a reclamation bond, submit a final Plan of Operation with mitigations as required by the DM, and provide an approved spill response plan before their exploratory drilling can begin. Additionally, a September 3rd press release issued by Regal Resources begs the question if they even have the finances to start their exploratory drilling.

There is no objection period offered by the Forest Service for Categorical Exclusion (CE) decisions. CE decisions are final. Any appeals or objections must be addressed through litigation.

Questions about the Sunnyside drilling project should be directed to: Patrick Morton, Geologist, Coronado National Forest, 300 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701, 520-388-8348, pmorton@fs.fed.us.

Guest Blog: TrekWest – A Coalition’s Campaign for Connectivity

Guest Blog: TrekWest – A Coalition’s Campaign for Connectivity

With permission, we’ve reprinted Matt Clark’s Blog from Defenders of Wildlife regarding the TrekWest journey. 

TrekWest – A Coalition’s Campaign for Connectivity by Matt Clark | Posted on 15 April 2013

Matt Clark, Southwest Representative 

Patagonia Mountains - rich habitat for wildlife in the southwest ©Matt Clark

Patagonia Mountains – rich habitat for wildlife in the southwest ©Matt Clark

If you are anything like me, you might get to feeling pessimistic sometimes because of all of the alarming news we hear about the growing extinction crisis, climate change and a plethora of other wildlife woes. The renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold once wrote, “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” Since Leopold’s day, science has deepened our understanding of these ecological wounds and their consequences for wildlife – and has also revealed promising solutions.

Though most understand the damage done when a species’ habitat is destroyed, we often overlook the damage that comes from breaking the habitat into smaller pieces or crisscrossing it with roads and other barriers. When native habitats become too small, isolated and fragmented, they can’t support healthy wildlife populations.

Here in Defenders’ Southwest office, we’ve partnered with the Wildlands Network and a dozen or more of North America’s most respected conservation organizations to protect, connect and restore a contiguous network of lands along the spine of the Rocky Mountains and associated ranges, basins, plateaus, and deserts – all the way from Alaska’s Brooks Range to the Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. These habitats need to be stitched back together so that wildlife can survive in a crowded world, and can shift their ranges as climate change rapidly alters the environment.

U.S. Mexico border fence

A family of wild pigs trapped at the border fence that cuts across their habitat (©Matt Clark)

To bring attention to wildlife corridor conservation, outdoor adventurer John Davis is biking, hiking and paddling along a 5,000-mile journey from Mexico to Canada, highlighting the need for wildlife habitat and corridor protection on a local and international scale – a journey dubbed TrekWest. Along the way, John is pointing out projects by organizations, private landowners and decision-makers that have helped to protect or restore vital habitats and corridors. I joined John Davis and our local conservation partners on the trail for the second regional leg of his continental journey. We guided John to important places in the Sky Islands Ecoregion – one of Defenders’ focal landscapes – to highlight promising projects that aim to maintain and restore habitat connectivity.

While TrekWest is mostly about highlighting solutions and successes, we were also compelled to show John some of the obstacles to wildlife in the Sky Islands. We brought John to see the antithesis of habitat connectivity: the 20-foot-tall border wall that Customs and Border Protection has constructed along vast swaths of the border with Mexico, straight through prime wildlife habitat. Defenders led the charge against this massive project at the time, but sadly the construction continued without public input and via the waiving of important laws. On previous trips to the border, I have witnessed the wall’s effects on wildlife. I photographed a family of javelina (wild pigs) cut off from the Mexican part of their range, and have seen deer and mountain lions similarly stymied. Some of the more rugged, north/south wildlife corridors that span the border do not yet have walls constructed across them, and we hope they will never be built.

Jaguars like these are just beginning to make their way back into Arizona - but disconnected habitats make it a challenge.

Jaguars like these are just beginning to make their way back into Arizona – but disconnected habitats make it a challenge.

Another threat we could not sugar-coat for John is a number of mining proposals in the region. We visited the site of the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, just south of Tucson. If this open pit mine proceeds despite strong local opposition and legal challenges, it would destroy and fragment habitat for a wide range of species, including the jaguar. We also brought John to the Patagonia Mountains (a crucial, cross-border mountain range) and showed him the site of the proposed “Wildcat” silver mine. If constructed, this would be the second largest silver mine in the world – and like Rosemont, it would destroy thousands of acres of habitat and sever its connections for many wildlife species including the endangered jaguar, ocelot, and lesser long-nosed bat and the threatened Mexican spotted owl. Defenders is working with partner organizations such as Sky Island Alliance and the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance to prevent this mine from becoming the newest ecological wound to the region.

On the positive side, I helped to guide John on a hike to tour a local wildlife linkage that connects the Santa Catalina Mountains to the Tortolita Mountains. The connection between these two habitats was severed by urban development and a heavily traveled state highway (SR 77). The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, of which Defenders is an active member, has worked tirelessly with stakeholders to protect the threads of habitat that remain intact. The Coalition also helped convince the Regional Transportation Authority to build wildlife underpasses, and an ambitious overpass, to enable wildlife to pass safely across SR 77. Once built, these wildlife-dedicated structures will give deer, fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion and other wildlife a way to cross from one habitat to the next without putting themselves or drivers at risk.

The bridge over Davidson Canyon allows wildlife to cross under Interstate 10 (©Matt Clark)

The bridge over Davidson Canyon allows wildlife to cross under Interstate 10 (©Matt Clark)

Later, I met up with John and staff from Sky Island Alliance on a hike through Davidson Canyon, a crucial wildlife corridor that links the Rincon Mountains and Pima County’s Cienega Creek Natural Preserve with the Santa Rita Mountains. The canyon is particularly important because the highway’s bridge gives wildlife a place to safely cross beneath Interstate 10. We documented many tracks near the bridge left behind by roadrunner, opossum, fox, coyote, bobcat and cougar. Black bear have also been documented utilizing this corridor. Sky Island Alliance is working with the transportation department and the county to ensure that this corridor remains functional for the free-flow of wildlife movement. These are but a couple of shining examples of how we are collectively working together to ensure wildlife has room to roam.

I believe that the most important factor that has changed since Aldo Leopold’s time is that we are no longer alone as we face these ecological challenges. We are a part of a strong and growing network of well-informed, passionate people working together toward a common and noble cause: the conservation and restoration of our natural heritage. For me, connectivity conservation fuels the flame of hope. It is a way we can give wildlife a fighting chance to survive in an increasingly fragmented and warming world.

Coalition of environmental groups file suit against the Forest Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hardshell exploratory drilling threatens endangered wildlife on Coronado National Forest

Conservation groups challenge project

 

TUCSON, Ariz.—A coalition of conservation groups has gone to court seeking a timeout on construction of the Hardshell Project on the Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona today. The groups are challenging the U.S. Forest Service for approving exploratory mineral drilling for a planned 3,000-acre mine without required studies of how it will impact endangered wildlife and the environment.

“The Forest Service appears to have pulled a fast one on this project by approving it without first assessing its environmental impact. There’s no way to expand industrial mining activities here without causing irreversible damage to wildlife,” said Craig Miller, Defenders of Wildlife’s Southwest representative. “When you take a broad view of all the industrial mining projects the Forest Service is allowing in this area, it’s alarming that it’s being done without considering impacts on our wildlife and wild places. It’s especially serious for endangered animals like the jaguar, whose survival depends on land managers ensuring that a few wild places like the Patagonia Mountains remain intact.”

The Hardshell Project site threatens habitat for endangered Mexican spotted owls, lesser long-nosed bats, and could cut off key migration corridors for ocelots and jaguars. Yet, the ForestService approved the project after waiving the need for analyzing its environmental impact based upon groundless assumption that the drilling would have no significant environmental effects.

“The Coronado National Forest is located within the heart of the Sky Island region, one of the most ecologically diverse spots in the world,” said Jenny Neeley, conservation policy director for Sky Island Alliance. “This project will likely degrade important wildlife habitat and disrupt a critical movement corridor for the jaguar and ocelot, which are known to roam this area. The ForestService is responsible for sustaining the unique biodiversity of this region, and as part of this responsibility it is required to take a hard look at the long-term impacts of this project before allowing it to move forward.”

The groups are asking the courts to put the project on hold until the Forest Service undertakes a thorough environmental review of its impacts.

“We want the Forest Service to give this proposed drilling project the serious consideration it is due,” said Wendy Russell with the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. “A large part of our economy depends on tourism to these wild places. More important, the project is sited along Harshaw Creek, a major source of water for the town of Patagonia. We hope the court recognizes the importance of putting this project on hold until theForest Service does the proper analysis.”

Link to Complaint

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Contacts:
James Navarro, Defenders of Wildlife, (202) 772-0247; jnavarro@defenders.org
Jenny Neeley, Sky Island Alliance, (520) 624-7080 x13; Jenny@skyislandalliance.org

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

Sky Island Alliance is a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. For 20 years, SIA has worked with volunteers, scientists, landowners, public officials, and government agencies to establish protected areas, restore healthy landscapes, and promote public appreciation of the region’s unique biological diversity.

The Patagonia Area Resource Alliance is an unincorporated association of volunteer community members dedicated to protecting and preserving the Patagonia, Arizona area. PARA is a watchdog organization that monitors the activities of industrial developers such as mining corporations, as well as government agencies, to make sure their actions have long- term, sustainable benefits to our public lands, our watershed, and our town. PARA is also committed to outreach and education within our community on the potential negative impacts hard rock mining could have on our surrounding ecosystems and to our growing eco-tourism based economy.

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