Groups push conservation in the region

About 250 people turned out Saturday to hear of environmental threats posed by a proposed copper mine in the Santa Ritas, a planned housing development near Madera Canyon and concerns that the West Desert Preserve on the west may become an extension of Green Valley.

The Santa Rita Mountains Conservation Coalition and related conservation groups warned that the aquifer could suffer major draw-down from the copper mine, that a 180-house development could forever spoil the Madera Canyon area and its bountiful wildlife, and that the state may sell the West Desert Preserve to developers.

No one appeared to speak for the mine, the Kettenbach development at Madera or the land department which is bound by law to sell its property to the highest bidder, not withstanding the environmental treasures that may be part of it.

Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, one of the speakers, remembered growing up in Chicago where people can’t see the stars at night because of pollution, and how he fell in love with Southern Arizona when he moved here 20 years ago.

“I believe miracles happen through the will of the people,” he said of the struggles ahead to conserve the three areas.

“Mining is not compatible with the Sonoran Desert,” he said, adding:

“Why let there be mining when there’s not the water?”

Augusta Resource has said it would build and operate the copper mine on the west side of the Santa Ritas, using water from that aquifer.

But Carroll reminded the listeners that the mining company is drilling on the east side of the mountains, posing threats to private well owners in eastern Sahaurita.

And he said not to count on Central Arizona Project water to make up the difference.

“The CAP is an over-promised and underfunded resource.”

Lawyer Luis Calvo of Friends of Madera Canyon, where he lives, said, “The only solution is a political solution,” and urged listeners to talk to elected officials, write them and attend public hearings.

“We need to be relentless. We need to be the fly in the ointment,” he said.

Fighting to preserve underground water from mining companies is formidable, he said, “Mining is exempt from state water laws.”

Tom Purdon, of Defenders of Madera Canyon, led the meeting at the Green Valley Community Church.

He said of the environmental threats to the area, “We’ve drawn a line in the sand, and we better defend it before the lands and birds and animals go away.”

Carl Jones, speaking about the West Desert Preserve, warned that the area could be snatched away in quick order.

“Two thousand acres of state land could be sold and developed at any time,” he warned.

There have been plans to raise the money to buy the land from the state through proceeds from a proposed 2008 Pima County bond issues.

But the sluggish economy may cause the county to delay the vote for a year or more.

Gayle Hartman of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas said hard rock mining companies, like those that mine copper, don’t pay royalties to the federal government for the ore they mine.

“Coal and gas companies pay royalties,” she said.

She said work is under way to try to change the 1872 federal lands act that gives mining company great authority when it comes to digging for copper, gold, silver and similar minerals.

She said the Rosemont Mine would create an eyesore and degrade the quality of life near it, saying ore-hauling trucks will be using local roads “365 days a year” for at least 20 years.

She asked the audience to think of the air pollution that would produce.

There were at least 10 environmental organizations with tables in the Community Church lobby passing out literature and collecting signatures on petitions to address local issues.

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749