John,
Stunning Oak Flat in central Arizona's Tonto National Forest is sacred land to Western Apache tribes and provides habitat for imperiled species including the Arizona hedgehog cactus, yellow-billed cuckoo and narrow-headed garter snake. And thanks to its beautiful rock formations, it's world renowned for rock climbing.
But this precious natural resource is threatened by a massive copper mine. Will you speak up for Oak Flat?
The Rio Tinto mining company wants to excavate a massive underground mine that would leave a crater more than 2 miles wide and 1,000 feet deep, destroying sacred sites and recreation areas.
The company's insatiable groundwater pumping would drain the regional aquifer and dry up nearby Ga'an Canyon, another sacred site that's also critically important to the region's wildlife.
The Tonto National Forest is taking comments from the public on the environmental impact statement for the mine. Now's the time to raise your voice to protect sacred sites and public lands that will be destroyed by this colossal boondoggle.
Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Oak Flat cannot be sacrificed.
|