Latest actions highlight continued attempts to erode protections for public lands
Mining poses an increasing and urgent threat to some of America’s most beloved trails, including the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) and Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT). From uranium mining in New Mexico and Arizona to gold mining in Montana, new projects are advancing rapidly with limited environmental review, and some are located in close proximity to congressionally designated scenic trails.
“We need to view resource development holistically, considering the intersections of public lands with communities, environmental sustainability, and recreation—an important economic factor for local communities,” said Teresa Martinez, CDTC Executive Director. “Critical decisions are being made right now concerning public lands that will have lasting implications for residents and outdoor recreationists, and we believe it’s important the public understands what’s at stake.”
This month, the U.S. Forest Service published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to assess the impacts of the plan submitted for the Roca Honda Uranium Mine by Roca Honda Resources, LLC. This initiated a thirty-day comment period where the public is invited to weigh in on topics that the USFS should consider during this analysis. This is the most recent in a long series of mining and mining exploration proposals along and near the CDT in northern New Mexico, many of which face strong community opposition. The mining claims associated with one proposal, the Mesa Arc Project on the Carson National Forest, even directly overlap with a small portion of the trail.
The Mining Operations and Reclamation Plan (MORP) submitted by Roca Honda Resources describes a twenty-one-year project on the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico, including eleven years of mining and ten years of reclamation and monitoring. The company would pump, on average, 6.8 million gallons of groundwater each day to mine uranium ore, which it would then haul nearly 290 miles to a processing mill in Utah. The site of the project is northeast of the CDT Gateway Community of Grants, in an area that is already part of the Grants Mining District, the site of more than 40 million tons of uranium extraction between the 1950s and the 1990s. The Environmental Protection Agency has spent years working to understand and address the environmental and public health legacy of this mining near where Roca Honda Resources is proposing to resume uranium mining.
A portion of the project’s footprint would also overlap directly with the Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Property, an area of deep religious, cultural, and historic significance to Tribal communities. The cultural impacts of this project could be compounded by several other mining projects that have already been approved or proposed in the area surrounding Mount Taylor.
“Projects like the Roca Mine are the latest in a string of efforts to fast-track projects with the potential to have extensive and disproportionate impacts to local resources and communities, including our trails,” Martinez said.
The Roca Honda Uranium Mine is a FAST-41 project, a list of projects identified by the Trump administration for “streamlined” permitting processes. While Roca Honda Resources is based in Colorado, it is the subsidiary of a Canadian-owned company.
Other national trails are affected by similar proposals, including the AZT. Three significant trail reroutes have been undertaken over the past five years to avoid impacts from new mining operations in various parts of Arizona. This includes a 7-mile reroute to relocate the AZT from a desert canyon ecosystem that will soon be filled with mine tailings near the Gila River. Another project near the town of Patagonia, approved under the FAST-41 policy, forced a major relocation of the AZT, costing the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) over $800,000, with the project proponent contributing less than 10% of total expenses. On the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, new road construction and exploratory drilling required moving the AZT to a completely different ridgeline to maintain public safety. And within the recently designated Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument, a uranium mine continues to operate just a few miles from the AZT.
“As the nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and maintenance of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, we continually find that some of the greatest threats to the trail include mining,” said ATA Executive Director Matthew Nelson. “We have been fortunate to work with mining companies who are genuinely committed to mitigating their impacts, but others simply don’t care. As long as state and federal land management policies put mining above all other uses, our public lands will continue to be commodified and desecrated for the benefit of corporate interests—many of which are foreign-owned,” he said.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) have introduced a bill that would withdraw federal lands in the Rio Chama Watershed in northern New Mexico from all forms of location, entry, and patent under mining laws. This approach would halt a uranium mining proposal located directly along the CDT that has extreme local opposition.
Federal land management agencies have limited ability to fully reject mining proposals, in accordance with the General Mining Law of 1872 that defines mining as the “highest and best use” of the land. Despite the proximity of these projects to sensitive water systems, recreational infrastructure, and cultural landscapes, federal agencies are not required to offer significant opportunities for public input or undertake the highest possible levels of environmental review.
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About the Arizona Trail
The Arizona National Scenic Trail stretches 800 miles across the entire length of the state to connect deserts, mountains, forests, canyons, wilderness, history, communities, and people. This non-motorized trail showcases Arizona’s diverse vegetation, wildlife and scenery, as well as unique historic and cultural sites. The route provides unparalleled opportunities for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and other trail users. More information is available at aztrail.org.
About the Continental Divide Trail
The CDT is one of the world’s premier long-distance trails, stretching 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide. Designated by Congress in 1978, the CDT is the highest, most challenging, and most remote of the 11 National Scenic Trails. It provides recreational opportunities ranging from hiking to horseback riding to hunting for thousands of visitors each year. While 95% of the CDT is located on public land, approximately 150 miles are still in need of protection.
About the Continental Divide Trail Coalition
The CDTC was founded in 2012 by volunteers and recreationists hoping to provide a unified voice for the Trail. Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land management agencies, the CDTC is a non-profit partner supporting stewardship of the CDT. The mission of the CDTC is to complete, protect, and elevate the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a world-class resource. For more information, sponsorship opportunities, or to get involved, contact [email protected].