:
John,
For millennia, the gnarled and rangy trees for which Ironwood Forest National Monument takes its name have stood guard over the Sonoran desert, providing shade for a vast selection of unique plants and animals.[1]
These 800-year-old trees have survived so much, but their lives could come to an unceremonious end, run over by a bulldozer or poisoned by toxic sludge. A new bill would open the door to mining in this forest.[2]
Tell your U.S. representative: Protect the magnificent flora and fauna of Ironwood Forest National Monument.
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Throughout the Southwest, you can see the scars of copper mining. This extractive process requires scraping away at the landscape until all that remains are raw pits and piles of scabbed earth.
The copper deposits under Ironwood Forest have already attracted the interest of mining companies. If Ironwood's status as a national monument is revoked, this vibrant landscape could be destroyed by pit mines that leach toxic chemicals, pollute the air and threaten Arizona's already precarious water supply.[3]
Mining could devastate the delicate balance of this ecosystem. Rare species like lesser long-nosed bats, desert bighorn sheep and endangered Nichols Turk's head cacti could disappear.[4]
Tell your U.S. representative: This forest is so much more than the metals buried beneath it.
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Less than an hour's drive from Tucson, Ironwood attracts thousands of visitors annually -- hikers and hunters, bird watchers and cyclists alike all find joy in this special place. The monument also contains several archeological sites that hold cultural value for the Tohono O'odham Nation.[5]
Mining operations would likely destroy the raw wildness that makes Ironwood so appealing.
Each spring, desert ironwoods erupt in clouds of delicate pastel purple flowers, reminding us that beneath its tough exterior, the Sonoran desert is a diverse and vital ecosystem teeming with life.
Over the decades, as Americans we have set aside some places because they are vital and beautiful. In part, it's because the natural world needs oases where mining and other destructive practices are not allowed. To lose Ironwood would be an utter tragedy.
Take action today: Help ensure the ancient ironwood trees can continue blossoming for decades to come.
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Thank you for supporting our special places,
Lisa Frank
Executive Director
1. "Biological Survey of Ironwood Forest National Monument," Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, last accessed September 26, 2025.
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2. Paul Ingram, "Enviros criticize Rep. Gosar's renewed attempt to undo protections for Ironwood Forest Nat'l Monument," Tucson Sentinel, September 18, 2025.
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3. Ellen Montgomery, "The Ironwood Forest National Monument: Arizona's hidden treasure," Environment Arizona Research & Policy Center, August 19, 2025.
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4. "Ironwood Forest National Monument," Bureau of Land Management, last accessed September 26, 2025.
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5. Brandon Loomis, "Poll: Arizona overwhelmingly supports protecting land, air, climate," AZ Central., August 13, 2017.
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