Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to promote community health by protecting the environment and natural resources of southwestern New Mexico. Founded in 1998, the organization formed to address pollution and inadequate reclamation planning at the Chino, Cobre, and Tyrone copper mines in Grant County—mines which threatened regional aquifers and river systems, including the Gila River, New Mexico’s last free‑flowing river and a vital biodiversity hotspot. In addition to its Responsible Mining Program, GRIP advocates for sustainable water resource management, protection of the Gila region from military training, and community resilience and action on climate change. Serving residents and ecosystems of Grant County and surrounding areas, GRIP engages in environmental monitoring, policy advocacy, community organizing, public education, and watershed restoration. “We’re a voice for communities as well as the environment,” says Allyson Siwik, GRIP’s executive director.
The Chino open-pit copper mine, located just east of Silver City, New Mexico. Photo: Eric Guinther/Wikimedia Commons
A woman-led nonprofit with five staff members, an active board of directors, and dozens of volunteers, GRIP is on the front lines of protecting the communities, ecosystems, and natural resources of New Mexico’s Gila region. In 1998, GRIP’s advocacy helped persuade state regulators to require over $500 million in financial assurance from Phelps Dodge for cleanup at the Chino, Cobre, and Tyrone copper mines—far more than the $100 million initially proposed. In 2004, GRIP began opposing the Gila River Diversion Project, which aimed to build infrastructure to capture and store up to 14,000 acre-feet of water annually from the Gila River and its tributaries. After more than 15 years of advocacy through the Gila Conservation Coalition, the project was defeated when the state halted funding in 2020 and federal approvals were rescinded in 2022. With state and federal support, GRIP now trains the next generation of environmental stewards through stream restoration, wildfire risk reduction, and tree planting projects that build climate resilience in southwestern New Mexico.
The Gila River flows through the Gila Wilderness, the nation’s first designated wilderness area. Photo: Ben Macaskill/Wikimedia Commons