The Arizona State Land Department is scheduled to auction off 160 acres of state trust land next month — land that Hudbay Minerals, a Canadian mining company, has sought to purchase to help the expansion of its proposed Copper World mine in southern Arizona.
The lands to be auctioned are at the base of the Santa Rita Mountains, a beloved landscape within the biologically rich Sky Island region — and habitat for endangered wild cats.
For years the famous jaguar El Jefe has roamed the Santa Ritas — which lie within jaguars’ native range — and just recently, a trail camera detected a rare ocelot in the range. These mountains are also home to wildlife like black bears and mountain lions.
If the 160-acre parcel is auctioned off to Hudbay Minerals, it will connect two company properties south of Corona de Tucson, clearing the way for Hudbay to expand its toxic tailings disposal and mining infrastructure into the Santa Ritas.
Large-scale mining in the mountains would fragment habitat and wildlife-movement corridors, increase noise and light pollution, and suck up massive amounts of groundwater that riparian ecosystems like Davidson Canyon and Cienega Creek need to thrive.
Gov. Katie Hobbs has the authority to withdraw these 160 acres from auction. Tell her to protect wildlife, water, and the Santa Rita Mountains by stopping the land sale now.
- Thanks to the Center of Biological Diversity for sharing this action and photo.
Love our mountains? Enjoy this recording about the Rincons by Sky Island Alliance:
A Floristic Tour of the Rincon Mountains
