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Grant County Commission Resolves to
Preserve and Protect Pinos Altos and Surrounding Area from the Threat of Large-scale Mining
The Grant County Commission on Thursday passed a proclamation acknowledging the threat of large-scale mining to Pinos Altos and surrounding lands, and resolved to "preserve and protect" these areas for their cultural, historic and ecological values.
Thank you to Commission Chairman Chris Ponce and Commissioners Nancy Stephens and Eloy Medina for their support for the proclamation.
Mining claims have been recently staked on nearly 20,000 acres of the Gila National Forest and other federal and private lands north of Silver City by global mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP through its exploration partner Ivanhoe Electric.
Local residents have been extremely concerned that new mining of this magnitude in the Gila National Forest would have significant impacts on the area’s water supplies, the forest’s natural resources and wildlife, recreational opportunities, property values of homes located adjacent to the forest, and the local tourism and recreation economy.
The public has expressed its concern to the Grant County Commission by speaking up in large numbers at commission meetings about the threat, while nearly 3,500 mostly local residents signed a petition to the Gila National Forest in opposition to industrial-scale mining in this unique area.
Sponsored by District 3 Commissioner Nancy Stephens, the proclamation states “in recognition of the many and varied values held by local residents and visitors to the region, Grant County commissioners resolve to preserve and protect the Pinos Altos community, all National Forest System lands to the Gila Wilderness boundary to the north, west and south,” and other adjacent federal and state public lands. The area encompassed by the proclamation includes the Continental Divide Trail to the east of Pinos Altos and the communities of Lake Roberts, Feeley Subdivision, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery.
“Southwest New Mexico is on the front lines of the current mining boom in the U.S. Nearly half of the state’s active mining claims have been staked in the past few years, with thousands of them located in our region, indicating the potential for future mining projects. We thank the Grant County Commission for recognizing this threat to the Pinos Altos area and adopting today’s proclamation, which affirms the need to protect Pinos Altos and the surrounding Gila National Forest from land uses that would jeopardize their irreplaceable cultural, historic, and ecological values,” said Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of Gila Resources Information Project.
“This proclamation works to immediately address the concerns of thousands of Grant County residents to the threat of large-scale mining around the Pinos Altos area and the surrounding communities. People love these lands and have recreated, fished, hunted and gathered there with their families for generations. We are grateful to Commissioner Nancy Stephens for listening to the people of Grant County, working with others on the Commission, and sponsoring this proclamation to protect the lands surrounding Pinos Altos,” said Patrice Mutchnick, Director of Heart of the Gila.
“Mining targets the particular places snakes need to give birth, care for their kids, and shelter during the winter. This isn’t hypothetical,” said Melissa Amarello, a resident of the Feeley Neighborhood and Executive Director of Advocates for Snake Preservation. “Rio Tinto has staked claims on nest and den sites we’ve studied for years. Places my snake friends depend upon to keep them and their families safe.”
"The Gila Native Plant Society is grateful to the Grant County Commissioners for passing a proclamation supporting protection for the forest land near Pinos Altos," said Donna Stevens, president of the Gila Native Plant Society. "This area is considered an Important Plant Area by the State of New Mexico, and is home to rare plants, some of which occur nowhere else on earth."
"The areas around Little Cherry Creek, Bear Creek, and Lake Roberts that are covered by the Proclamation are some of the most important places for birds and birders near Pinos Altos and Silver City. We're grateful to the Grant County Commission for recognizing the importance of bird habitat in these areas and resolving to preserve and protect them," said Linda Moore, board president of the Bird Alliance of Southwestern New Mexico.
“Thank you to Chairman Ponce and Commissioners Stephens and Medina for their leadership in passing the Proclamation that honors Pinos Altos and its surrounding lands and values. Many Grant County residents trace multigenerational roots to this landscape, which also claims a deep history of presence and use by Indigenous communities. These lands provide important habitat for wildlife and rare plants, and contain gems such as the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Inventoried Roadless Areas, a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and the geological wonders of Hell’s Half Acre. Bravo to these elected leaders for recognizing these historical, cultural, and natural values and the need to protect and preserve them,” said Luke Koenig, Gila Grassroots Organizer for New Mexico Wild.
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