Mining in the Patagonia Mountains

Mining is not new to the Patagonia Mountains, but what is new is “Industrialized Mining”.  Anyone who lives in the Patagonia Mountains or has explored the area for birding, hiking, hunting, or any of the other multiple uses for Forest Service land, has encountered some of the scars that remain from historical underground mining.  Time has healed some of the scars, but many mine openings, acid mine water and tailing piles devoid of any plant life still mar portions of the area. 

Since the 1970s several companies have done exploratory mining on private and public property in various parts of the Patagonia Mountains.  With technological advances in industrialized mining, ore deposits that were previously labeled “not economically feasible” are now of interest to international mining companies.  

Under the 1872 Mining Act, a citizen of the United States or a United States corporation may stake mining claims on those public lands that are open for mining location.  

• A mining claim on Forest Service or other public land is referred to as an “unpatented” mining claim.

The claim holder:

• Does not have any ownership in surface or mineral rights, 
• pays an annual maintenance fee to the Federal government to “lease” only the mineral rights, and
• has the right to submit a proposal to Forest Service to conduct exploratory work which may lead to an underground or open pit mine. 

As a result mining companies, including international companies that form subsidiary United State corporations, now have mining claims on over 60 square miles of public land in the Patagonia Mountains.   For comparison, 60 square miles of mining claims is an area more than 45 times larger than the Town of Patagonia, Arizona.

Barksdale Resources Corporation (Barksdale) a Canadian based junior exploratory mining company, has acquired unpatented mining claims on Forest Service land for their three projects.  Their total unpatented mining claims cover almost 20 square miles or an area 15 times the size of the Town of Patagonia, AZ.    

Barksdale’s projects are: 

• Sunnyside is located west of Harshaw, AZ. in an area locally referred to as Humboldt and Flux Canyons.   This Sunnyside project is NOT affiliated with the old Sunnyside town site located in the Huachuca Mountains.    
• San Antonio is on the southern eastern slope of the Patagonia Mountains, northeast of the Washington Camp, AZ.  This Barksdale’s project is not affiliated in any way with the privately owned San Antonio Ranch which is on the southeastern border of Barksdale’s San Antonio Project. 
• Four Metals is located in the middle of the Patagonia Mountains, an area referred to locally as Guajalote Flat/Red Hill area. 

As of April 2020, Barksdale has submitted exploratory drilling proposals to Forest Service for the Sunnyside and San Antonio Projects.  

South 32, an Australian mining company operating in Arizona as Arizona Minerals Inc., is currently developing plans for an underground mine, the Hermosa Project, in the Harshaw area of the Patagonia Mountains.  The proposed underground mine is located on their private property and is therefore not subject to the same Forest Service permitting and review process as mines proposed on public lands.  In addition to its private property, South 32 has mining claims on approximately 40 square miles of Forest Service land in the Patagonia Mountains an area 30 times larger than the Town of Patagonia, AZ.   

If today’s industrialized mining is allowed to occur without reasonable constraints and monitoring, the impact to all other users of the Patagonia Mountains will be devastating.  The riparian habitat along the Santa Cruz River may disappear, caused by lower ground water levels as the mines deplete the aquifer.  If mining is allowed to expand from its current footprint to encompass the length of the Patagonia Mountains it will disproportionately consume resources and negatively impact all other residents and users. 

Responsible mining must be limited to a specific area where the effects on the watershed, wildlife, hunters, residents and all other users can be monitored.  If mining is proven to be sustainable and ground water and users aren’t negatively impacted and reclamation is completed as planned, then a request to move on to a new site could be considered.  What must not be allowed to happen is the random expansion of new mines before we fully understand the consequences of existing activity and the cumulative impacts of various mining operations.  

Although mining may bring short-term gains to the local economy, the cumulative long term effects of multiple mining operations will change the very nature of the San Rafael Valley Watershed and the surrounding communities.