What is Oak Flat?
In 1955 President Dwight D. Eisenhower extended the borders of Arizona’s Tonto National Forest to include an area called Oak Flat. Eisenhower’s land order protects Oak Flat and the other regions from all “forms of appropriation … including mining but not reserved to mineral-leasing laws.” Well before this, however, it was a place of cultural and spiritual importance to indigenous peoples.
Since 1955, decades of protection have allowed a flourishing ecosystem to harbor unique and, in some cases, endangered plants and wildlife. Aside from that, it ensured that indigenous peoples, such as the Apache, were able to continue their religious practices freely.
Unfortunately, the area faces an existential threat – two mining companies are trying to acquire more than 2,000 acres in and around Oak Flat. If the land were to lose the protections granted by Pres. Eisenhower, it could be the site of a large-scale copper mine that will endanger the integrity of the land and the life it supports.
The Land Swap
The threat to Oak Flat began in 2014. Flying under the radar as an amendment of a 2014 defense-spending bill, Congress approved a land swap that removed the area’s mining restrictions. The process exchanged land held by the mining company Resolution Copper for this swath of sacred and protected land.
Resolution Copper is a joint venture between two, foreign mining giants, BHP and Rio Tinto. These companies have been accused of disregarding the effects their mines have on cultural and natural sites. Rio Tinto recently destroyed a tens-of-thousand-year-old aboriginal site in Western Australia. BHP has suffered similar accusations. These companies are now poised to undergo an enormous mining operation in an area sacred to the Apache and other tribes.
The environment of Oak Flat
The area in and around Oak Flat is home to a unique variety of plants and animals. Its adjacency to other protected areas improves the biodiversity of the area. The protections it currently enjoys allow healthy and endangered populations to coexist unreservedly.
Animals such as the regal horned lizard and the American goshawk are common across Oak Flat and Arizona more broadly. Habitat destruction could prove an issue in the future, especially considering the increase in mines and patchwork of land protections. Unfortunately, many of the plants and animals in the Oak Flat are already endangered.
The hedgehog cactus, for example, has been on the endangered species list since 1979. Much of this plant’s range is within the confines of the proposed Resolution Copper Mine. The ocelot, a similarly endangered species, often ranges into Oak Flat. Once roaming the American Southwest, the populations of these cats have dramatically dwindled, largely due to habitat destruction. An extensive mining operation could pose inexcusable threats to these species already hamstrung by habitat loss.
Oak Flat is adjacent to the Ga’an Canyon, an ecosystem that hosts numerous species and a vibrant riparian zone. Riparian zones, the land that surrounds bodies of water, are fragile in an environment such as the American Southwest due to the arid climate. These areas make up less than two percent of land in the southwest, yet host an outsized diversity of plants and wildlife. The Resolution Copper mine’s operations could remove groundwater, a source of the Ga’an River. Drying of the Ga’an River could destroy the riparian ecosystem that depends on it.
Oak Flat is a vulnerable environment. The Ga’an River and the lush ecosystems it enables are similarly fragile. The Resolution Copper Mine puts both in considerable and unjust jeopardy.
Threats Posed by the Resolution Copper Mine
Oak Flat and the Ga’an River are beautiful, yet vulnerable ecosystems. The Resolution Copper Mine will be substantial and could pose a risk to thousands of acres of wild land. The mining companies plan to use a mining strategy called “Block Caving.” This method involves hollowing out the ground underneath the surface and extracting ore from within.
Ideally, block cave mining leaves the surface intact but these mines often experience a catastrophe called subsidence (a situation in which the surface caves into the hollowed-out earth). Subsidence is not a guarantee with block cave mining but the risk increases at depths below 1,400m sub-surface. Unfortunately, the Resolution Copper Mine plans to operate at a depth of between 1,500m – 2130m.
BHP and Rio Tinto have a history of alleged negligence regarding their mining operations and the vulnerable sites they surround. Were the Resolution Copper Mine to cave in, a vibrant ecosystem and sacred land would be consumed.
The Green Economy
Certain minerals, such as copper, are integral to a “green economy.” Demand for copper is expected to double in the coming decades. That said, not all of our resources need to come from new mines. Copper is unique in that it is 100% recyclable, which means it can be reused without a drop in performance. Before searching under vulnerable ecosystems for these minerals, we should first look at recycling the existing copper found in unused electronics and landfills.
Once these options have been exhausted, the need for copper mining may persist. However, Oak Flat is a significant religious site as well as an important habitat for endangered species. If the unfortunate reality of necessary mining persists, better care needs to be taken as to where these projects take place.
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Ellen runs campaigns to protect America’s beautiful places, from local beachfronts to remote mountain peaks. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Arctic Defense Campaign and co-coordinates the Climate Forests Campaign. Ellen previously worked as the organizing director for Environment America’s Climate Defenders campaign and managed grassroots campaign offices across the country. Ellen lives in Denver, where she likes to hike in Colorado’s mountains.
