RE:RE:RE:RE:We are against MogollonThat I'd agree with; New Mexico is going to be challenging to get anything done, aside from some small scale drilling given how much opposition is against this project locally. They have some serious headwinds, and "local jobs" aren't going to sway federal regulators, who are ANTI everything.... let alone trying to build a mine near the oldest ecological preserve/wilderness in America. How many junior explore co's do you know that have a DOCUMENTARY out against them being viewed in local communities?
What happens to the share price if they get shut down or drill permits don't get renewed? They were smart taking the money when they did as Mogollon could be a house of cards that collapses at any time for them..
Film, panel outline Mogollon fight against mine exploration
Written by Juno Ogle on December 6, 202 https://www.scdailypress.com/2022/12/06/film-panel-outline-mogollon-fight-mine-exploration/
By JUNO OGLE
Daily Press Staff
Federal land management sometimes means saying no to mining projects, but it is often up to those most affected to create the pressure for that to happen, panelists said Saturday after a screening of a new film about such a fight near the Gila National Forest.
The Silco Theatre in downtown Silver City was the site for the world premiere of “Guardians of the Greater Gila: No Fools Gold,” a documentary produced by WildEarth Guardians, a Santa Fe nonprofit environmental group.
The film tells the story of the residents of former mining town Mogollon and their ongoing fight against Canadian mining company Summa Silver. In the spring of 2021, the 15 residents of the town noticed activity in the area by the company. They formed the Mogollon Concerned Citizens and are campaigning to stop the exploratory drilling over concerns that mining would threaten the watershed, the roads, the Mexican spotted owl population and their livelihoods.
Summa Silver did not respond to an email seeking comment on the film or to ask questions regarding their activity near Mogollon.
A panel after the film offered an update on the residents’ efforts and discussion of how and why they plan to proceed with their campaign. The panel included Mogollon residents Bob Moore, Stanley King and Kathy Knapp, who were featured in the film; Bill Tooahyaysay Bradford, vice chief and attorney general of the Chiricahua Apache Nation; Allyson Siwik, executive director of the Gila Resources Information Project; and Victoria Linehan of Glenwood, who spoke about mining’s threats to dark sky sanctuaries such as the Cosmic Campground near Glenwood.
The theater was packed for the screening, although the numbers dwindled somewhat during the panel discussion.
“I’m thrilled. It’s absolutely everything we had hoped for and more with a full house, and people seemed engaged. We’re super grateful to Silver City,” Leia Barnett, Greater Gila New Mexico advocate with WildEarth Guardians, said after the screening.
“It’s really nice to see so many people that support the ultimate objective, which is to prevent mining in this area. Whether they do it for reasons that have to do with biology, water, air, skies, it doesn’t matter, as long as they share the same objective,” Bradford said.
He said the Chiricahua’s involvement with the effort against Summa Silver comes from their creator. He welcomed the crowd in his language and then in English, reminding them they are on Chiricahua land.
“You’re here by permission. We have never surrendered this land and never will. We have an obligation that comes from the creator that was given to us to protect this land at the cost of anything and everything to include our lives,” he said.
The Chiricahua have fought mining since the 1700s when the Spanish arrived in the region, he said.
“It’s because mining disrupts the natural order. It pollutes the air and the water, it damages things for the animals and the spirits. This is the reason we have no choice but to fight against this kind of intrusion,” he said.
The company’s explorations are happening on private property, but residents fear if the work progresses to full mining, it will encroach on the Gila National Forest. Bradford said the lands that are being explored are sacred to the Chiricahua.
“The Mogollon Rim has very special spiritual significance to us,” he said.
Those are some of the same reasons the Mogollon residents are fighting, panelists said. One of the tools they are using to at least delay work on the mine is the local population of the Mexican spotted owl, which is listed as a threatened species in the United States.
Before they can begin any drilling, the company must conduct a survey of the owl population, Moore, a biologist, said. The company halted drilling for a time, but returned in September with one drilling unit, he said.
“We will see what happens at the end of February. That’s when they had to leave last time with the Mexican spotted owl study. We are assuming that is what the requirements are going to be this next year,” he said.
The owl’s breeding season is March through August, and the company should be prohibited from working during that time, he said.
Moore said if there is no sign the company will be moving out by the third week of February, a writing campaign will start.
King has lived in Mogollon for 43 years and owns and operates the Silver Creek Inn. Trying to work with the state’s regulatory agencies has been difficult, he said. In the campaign against Summa Silver’s work, he has dealt with the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division, Department of Transportation and Office of the State Engineer.
New Mexico Highway 159 has posted a weight limit of 7 tons on the road to Mogollon, he said, but the mining company is using trucks hauling up to 32 tons with water and other supplies.
“They’re beating up Mogollon Road, New Mexico 159. The state has pretty much bowed out of it,” he said.
Unpaved roads have become impassable after rains, he said, because the trucks keep operating even though the company is supposed to halt action if trucks create ruts more than 6 inches deep in the mud.
“They didn’t pay attention to that. They just kept on going for three weeks while this condition existed. They continued to muddy up the road and make it impassable for anybody trying to visit the Mogollon cemetery,” King said.
“They are supposed to be the stewards but they are not doing a very good job,” he said.
King said after the panel discussion he hopes the film helps the state take notice of the situation.
“In the short term, we would like the state of New Mexico to listen to our concerns and to comply with their own laws that they made,” he said.
The state regulates the mining industry under laws originally written in the 1800s and updated in 1993, he said.
“Those laws are very detailed and restrictive in certain areas,” he said.
Siwik said state and federal laws on public land management need to be updated.
“We have to make them more socially and environmentally responsible,” she said. “We need to clarify that it is within our means, it is within federal law that federal agencies can say, communities can say no to mining projects because of ecologically fragile areas, because of sacred sites,” she said.
One reason the Mogollon residents were initially unaware of the company’s intentions is because of a loophole in the state’s 1993 update of its mining laws.
The New Mexico Mining Act of 1993 was considered one of the most progressive in the country at that time, she said.
“But it really falls down in many areas,” she said. “If you have a mining exploration project under 40 acres, it’s considered minimal impact and public notification goes away. That’s why the residents of Mogollon were caught unawares here. This is something we can’t allow to continue.”
Actions can be taken at the national and local levels, Siwik said. Nationally, that includes pushing the federal government to put responsible mining standards in place, ending subsidies for mining and increasing recycling of metals.
“At the local level, what we do here in Grant County for mining projects, we need rigorous analysis of mining impacts and safeguards to protect fragile ecosystems and water supplies. We need to have strong oversight of the regulators as well as the mine operators, and that’s up to us as local communities, as the environmental and conservation community,” she said.
“It’s getting increasingly important, so we need, really, everybody’s help and support to get that done,” she said.
King encouraged people to take one simple action by going to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s webpage.
“Go on the contact page and put in just a simple question: ‘What’s the status of Summa Silver Corporation in Mogollon?’ And ask for a reply,” he said.
WildEarth Guardians will have another screening of the film Saturday in Albuquerque and a virtual screening in January, Barnett said. A screening in Santa Fe is also a possibility, she said.
Juno Ogle may be reached at juno@scdailypress.com.