Today at the monthly meeting of southern Arizona based Mining AMIGOS, Liberty Star CEO Jim Briscoe and ASARCO Manager, Environmental Services Nancy Johannesmeyer were given a few minutes to talk about the review by the Department of the Interior regarding the revision and/or repeal of the protective status for the Ironwood Forest National Monument.
Here are Jim’s notes for the talk:
“Mining in the Ironwood Forest
1. There is really no ironwood forest. There is a small dense growth of ironwoods on the north side of Ragged Top. Most of the trees in the so-called Ironwood are paloverde or mesquite with some acacia and ironwood. See promotional material for the forest. Abundant creosote is pervasive
2. The Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (aka Desert Ferruginous Pygmy Owl) is not endangered and any use of the previous designated Ironwood Forest lands for mining and exploration, cattle grazing, or any multipurpose use will have no effect on these owls
3. Mining won’t harm the Lesser Long-Nosed Bat. It is migratory
4. The Turk’s Head Cactus needs outcropping lower Paleozoic limestones to grow. There are almost no appropriate lower Paleozoic limestone outcrops in the current Ironwood, hence a small population of Turk’s Head cactus. It is not endangered
5. The many desert bighorn sheep thrive in the North Silverbell Mountains as they have for centuries. They are particularly abundant in the dormant open pits of the ASARCO mining operations
7. I worked at Silverbell for Asarco from 1965 to 1967
