Save the Scenic Santa Ritas Association has advocated for the protection of southern Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains and surrounding communities since 1996. The Santa Rita Mountains are part of the Sky Islands, known as one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America and home to jaguars, bears and mountain lions. SSSR was founded in opposition to open-pit mining, which has increased in recent years and poses a grave threat to health and safety in the area. Currently, members are focusing on Copper World, a mine on private land proposed by the Canadian company Hudbay that is expected to mine 85,000 metric tons of copper per year for the next 20 years. Residents are concerned about potential airborne lead poisoning from tailing piles, which are downwind from schools and residential communities. SSSR estimates that the 90,000 residents sharing an aquifer could be directly affecting well water levels, risking drinking water contamination, and depressing home values.
Residents and environmental organizations visit the site of the proposed Copper World project on February 1, 2025. Photo: Anna Darian
SSSR and its allies have filed a formal complaint against the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for issuing an air permit to Hudbay for the Copper World mine, alleging that the permit does not include sufficient controls to prevent toxic metals that could spread to adjacent neighborhoods in the wind. SSSR recently won a lawsuit against the Arizona State Land Department for failing to disclose the public meeting notice for a critical right-of-way across protected land, in violation of the Open Meetings Act. It commissioned an economic report from an independent firm that estimated that opening the mine would “provide negligible economic benefits to the regional and state economy while undermining vital economic sectors, depleting regional groundwater supplies, and obliterating an ecologically vibrant mountain range.” SSSR, which has two employees and 3,000 members, engages the community through public education and participation in government meetings, rallies and town halls.
Concerned citizens hike the Santa Rita mountains led by Sierra Club Borderlands and learn about mining plans on March 15, 2024. Photo: Anna Darian