Copper mining and the fight for Oak Flat

Just 70 miles east of Phoenix lies a vast area of rugged natural beauty, punctuated by towering cliffs, small stream beds and archaeological and historical treasures.

Rock-climbing enthusiasts come from around the country — even the world — to tackle its stately boulders and stone spires, which seem to stand sentry. Native American tribes, notably the San Carlos Apaches, consider it a sacred site and have held religious and coming-of-age ceremonies there for generations.

Thousands of climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, bird watchers and campers visit the Oak Flat campground and recreation area's distinctive volcanic features each year. But now this largely untouched site just east of Superior —protected by executive orders from two Republican presidents — may be forever changed because of a natural resource buried deep below its core.

Copper.

Under the terms of a deal approved by the U.S. government in December, Phoenix-based Resolution Copper will take control of 2,400 copper-rich acres in and around Oak Flat. In return, the company will transfer about 5,300 acres of privately owned parcels of conservation land throughout Arizona to the U.S. Forest Service.

Oak Flat sits 7,000 feet above what Resolution says is one of the largest copper deposits in the world. The company plans to break ground on the mining operation by mid-2020, according to its website.

The project has split rock-climbing enthusiasts into two camps, angered nature lovers and even divided the mining community.

On one side are those who cite the potential to create jobs and generate a $61.4 billion impact to an economically depressed area of Arizona over the 40-year life span of the operation. On the other are those who lament the loss of a revered recreation area, a sacred Native American site and pristine Arizona high desert.

Jared Marvel, 32, is in the latter category.

He estimates that he has rigged at least 20 slack lines for rock climbers in Oak Flat since he moved to Mesa from Oregon with his parents and brothers about 10 years ago.

When he starts his own family, he would like to teach his kids to climb at Oak Flat.

He fears they might never get the chance.

"The idea of losing it is devastating," Marvel said. "It's hard to put it to words. It's losing something that can never be replaced."

Resolution, a subsidiary of the British-Australian mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, plans to use a panel-caving variation of block-cave mining to extract the ore below Oak Flat.

The method requires undercutting the ore body with tunnels, blasting the ore in blocks above the tunnels, sending it through a primary crusher below ground, then using conveyors to move it for processing to a concentrator plant at the site of the old Magma Mine near Superior.

RELATED:Grand Canyon, Oak Flat added to endangered list

The result would be a crater that, according to the company's mining plan, could grow to about 1.8 miles across and as much as 950 feet deep when the ore is removed and the surface above collapses.

How big is that? Well, by comparison, Meteor Crater east of Flagstaff is about 1 mile across and 570 feet deep. And Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe is only 122 feet deep from the top of the grandstands to the football field.

The land swap requires an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act before Resolution takes title, but the language of the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, which authorizes the swap, ensures that the company ultimately will get the land regardless of what the study shows.

Opponents say the mine will make a large piece of Oak Flat inaccessible and leave a man-made mountain of tailings about halfway between Superior and Queen Valley.

"We'll get a crater and a pile of tailings," said Curt Shannon, Arizona policy analyst for the Access Fund, a national organization formed to protect rock-climbing resources. "That doesn't sound like a very good deal for us."

Others are trying to work with Resolution. The Queen Creek Coalition, another climbing group, is trying to preserve access to as much of Oak Flat, Devil's Canyon and Apache Leap as possible.

Resolution and the coalition have worked out a licensing agreement that essentially will amount to climbers agreeing to waive liability in exchange for access to Resolution land after the swap is complete.

And Resolution has agreed to provide access to popular climbing areas called Atlantis and the Pond that were going to be inaccessible.

Dave Richins, Resolution Copper's adviser for external affairs, said it was a "no-brainer" to work with the coalition to open those areas.

"We decided we can fall on our swords, or we can see what kind of a deal we can work out to mitigate the damage," said Paul Diefenderfer, chairman of the Queen Creek Coalition. "Some people like what we did. Others think we're the Antichrist."

He said he experienced a similar, though much lower-profile, struggle over land where he first began climbing 40 years ago. The property is now the Boulders Resort and Spa in Carefree.

"That was my first cold slap in the face of reality," he said. "We said, 'What do you mean we can't climb here anymore?' We protested, but it was private property. They can do what they want."

In the case of Oak Flat, most of the property was public until the land exchange was approved.

Late last year, it was quietly attached to the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass piece of military-spending legislation.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, shepherded the legislation, and it was signed by President Barack Obama in December. It also had the support of Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar and Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.

"I know a lot of people don't agree with how the bill was passed," Diefenderfer said. "But when you look at the amount of money in the ground there, there was just no way it is going to be left in there. If this was the Grand Canyon, it would be different. But it's a mining area. Unfortunately, there happens to be some really cool rocks on top of it."

Diefenderfer hopes Resolution will help create new access to climbing areas. The coalition and Resolution recently announced that a feasibility study is being done for a trail to Apache Leap that also would include building a system of mountain-biking and hiking trails.

Opponents of the project point out that Oak Flat isn't the only recreational area that could be affected by the mining operation.

Resolution's preferred mine-tailings area is above Queen Valley, visible from the Arizona Trail and Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park.

Tailings are the materials that remain after ore has been crushed and the copper removed. A slurry of tailings and water is transported by pipe to an area where it is dumped, eventually creating a mesa of waste.

Shannon said the pile will loom over the arboretum and Arizona National Scenic Trail, which threads west of Superior past Picketpost Mountain and toward the Superstition Wilderness. According to Resolution's mining plan, a pile 500 feet high will be created from 1.5 billion tons of waste over the 40-year life of the mine.

"If you look at the map on their mining plan of operation, the slurry pipe that will carry the tailings from the plant to the tailings pile crosses the Arizona Trail," Shannon said. "They're going to build an elevated trestle. But once the wind starts blowing and the tailings blow around, then you have a lot of real impact on both the trail and Boyce Thompson."

Richins said there will be a visual impact, although it won't occur for 10 to 15 years. He said Resolution "is committed to mitigating the impact" by planting native seeds to reduce unsightly views and control water and wind erosion.

While the tailings figure to be an eyesore, the threat to Oak Flat has garnered the most attention.

The area is regarded as one of the best bouldering destinations in the world. For 14 years, Shannon said, the premiere boulderingcompetition in the U.S. was held there.

"I'm so ashamed of the whole thing," said Marty Karabin, who has written climbing guides on Oak Flat, Queen Creek and Devil's Canyon. "I've been going down there close to 29 years. One of my friends came through in the 1970s, and that area was the whole reason he moved here. I'm just so bummed that this is happening.

"In the end, climbers are going to be left with nothing. Even Grandma can drive the car in there (to Oak Flat) right now and have a picnic, but they'll put up a gate and there won't be access for anyone. It's just a shame."

Shannon said the Access Fund opposes the mining plan because alternative methods could be used that would save Oak Flat. He said those methods "would make money, but not as much money."

And he argues that the area stands to gain more from accentuating the recreational value of Oak Flat, the Arizona Trail and other features than it does from the mining operation.

"If you look at the Arizona Mining Association's website, it says that all mining in Arizona contributes roughly $5 billion a year to the economy," he said. "If you look at outdoor recreation, it contributed $10.5 billion to the state of Arizona.

"Even if you look at this strictly from a dollar-and-cents standpoint, which politicians like to do, it doesn't make sense to destroy a great outdoor recreation area to build a mine. The mine will last 40 years whereas the outdoor recreation will last for perpetuity."

In an editorial written for The Arizona Republic in support of the legislation last October, McCain said the project "at full capacity" could create nearly 4,000 jobs and produce roughly 25 percent of the U.S. copper supply.

Opponents challenge those figures, noting that according to the company's plan, the peak of job creation will come during the construction phase, when about 3,700 will be employed. About 1,400 jobs will exists once the mine is fully operational — a number that includes about 200 contractors.

But Erik Filsinger, a Queen Creek Coalition board member and the group's original chairman, believes Superior can benefit from mining and recreation.

He envisions a transformation similar to what Moab, Utah, a one-time uranium-mining area, experienced when mountain bikers discovered it. He said Resolution has agreed to a financial "settlement" with the coalition that will be paid once the environmental review is complete and title to the land is officially turned over to Resolution.

"I can't say the number by mutual agreement," he said. "It's not a huge sum, but it's enough to be meaningful.

"Our big vision is to create a recreational green belt around the mine. Using resources from the mine, we want to work with them to develop elements of what would be wonderful recreational opportunities. That would include mountain biking, canyoneering, hiking, bird watching, equestrian stuff. The whole area has beautiful resources."

Richins said Resolution Copper supports the coalition's big-picture vision, and is "100 percent" willing to support the effort financially.

"We think recreational access and enjoyment could be a big economic driver in the future," he said. "We have partnered with the International Mountain Bike Association to do a trail plan now. Not 40 years from now when the mine is closed, but now.

"The IMBA, they look at this as Moab 30 years ago — a sleepy little town, couple of good bars, one hotel. They look at the terrain and see a lot of opportunity. The Arizona Trail from U.S. 60 to the Gila River is ranked as one of the best expert mountain-bike routes in the state. The area is absolutely incredible, with or without a mine."

Filsinger said developing trails for hiking and biking, and creating more access for canyoneering, will provide sustainable economic assets to Superior.

Others believe the land should remain as it is.

In February, a group of San Carlos Apaches set up a camp they call Apache Stronghold at Oak Flat to protest the exchange. The group is still there. Resolution's plan calls for a 1,500-foot buffer between the crater and the Apache Leap rock formation, also sacred to the tribe.

Shannon said land that once was important primarily to Native Americans, climbers and environmentalists now has gotten the attention of others. The manner in which the legislation was slipped through in the defense bill has rallied opposition.

In June, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the area to its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

"The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-governmental organization that takes advocacy positions like any other campaign group," Jennifer Russo, a spokesperson for Rio Tinto and Resolution, said in an e-mail. "There is no formal governance, selection criteria or opportunity for public input in the development of the list.

"On the other hand, the land-exchange legislation requires broad public consultation in regard to impacts on Apache Leap and the Oak Flat area that will lead to recommendations around mitigation of any identified impacts. Finally, the legislation provides for safe access to Oak Flat for all stakeholders."

Virgil McDill, associate director of public affairs for the National Trust, said the list has been around since 1988 and public input is part of the process.

"Each year, the Trust solicits nominations from the public via social media, newsletters, emails, and other channels," he said in an email. "Each nomination is then subjected to a thorough review process guided by specific criteria, including the significance of the site, the urgency of the threat it faces, and potential solutions to that threat."

Meanwhile, other efforts to oppose the project include a bill introduced by Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva that would repeal the land-exchange legislation. An online petition at avaaz.org seeks to create a national monument at Oak Flat.

Back at Oak Flat, Jared Marvel stands on a rock outcropping, watching his friends maneuver across the high line he has rigged between two mammoth boulders. He gazes at a trestle above a shaft that Resolution has dug not far away.

"I come out here and I can appreciate the Apaches that used to live out here," he said. "The area itself is one of the few riparian areas in the desert. There's so much water and it's so lush and green. There have been a lot of times my brothers and I have come out here just to camp and hike and explore. The climbing options are endless."

Or, so he hopes.

"I want to have kids one day, and I really want to be able to bring them out here," he said. "It's perfect for kids because there's a lot of small boulders, easy stuff that you can teach kids on and get them excited to climb. Even if you're not climbing, you can spend the day just exploring and boulder hopping and having a great time."

"It's so different from anything else in Arizona," Marvel added. "There's really nothing that compares."

- Oak Flat is a recreational area in Queen Creek Canyon about 4 miles northeast of Superior, a mining community of about 3,000 people approximately 70 miles east of Phoenix.

- Popular with rock climbers, Oak Flat also is a desert riparian area and is considered sacred to the San Carlos Apache, who have held cultural and coming-of-age ceremonies there for generations.

- A controversial land exchange passed as part of a defense-spending bill late last year will allow Resolution Copper Company to begin mining a low-grade body of copper ore located 7,000 feet below Oak Flat.

- According to Resolution, the mining operation would create about 3,700 jobs during peak construction and about 1,200 mining jobs during the project's 40-year life span.

- The operation would include a waste tailings pile to be located west of Superior, near the Arizona National Scenic Trail and Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park.