In Response to Rumors circulatiing, The Access Fund stated, “Despite all the rumors and uninformed declarations being circulated that there is little chance of saving Oak Flat, AZ, a popular climbing area outside of Phoenix and home to the Phoenix Boulder Blast, from being mined and thus closed to climbing, climbers need to keep fighting for recreational access, maintain a unified voice, and not be fooled by those that urge us to give up or cut a deal to develop another climbing area in exchange for Oak Flat.”
Resolution Copper Company (RCC), the mining company pushing to close Oak Flat for mining purposes does not currently hold the mining rights beneath Oak Flat but they are in fact fighting to sidestep the executive order’s mining restrictions through a legislative land swap. Unlike many other areas subject to federal mining laws, executive order (PLO 1229) instated in 1954 under Eisenhower and then upheld by Nixon in 1974 protects Oak Flat from mining. “If RCC really had a slam dunk they wouldnt waste their time lobbying congress or engaging with the Friend’s of Queen Creek (FoQC) and the Access Fund as they are” states Jason Keith Access Fund’s Policy Director.
Saving Oak Flat must involve a concerted effort. Access Fund advocacy work includes having and continuing to extensively lobby the offices of US Senators Kyl and McCain, US Representative Renzi (in both Arizona and DC), Arizona Governor Napolitano, many local officials and candidates, Tonto National Forest, Arizona BLM, Central Arizona Project, several state agencies concerned with land and water issues, and the organizer of the Phoenix Boulder Blast. Our efforts have led to a coalition that includes over a thousand FoQC members, the Arizona Mountaineering Club, The Sierra Club, Audubon Society, members of the outdoor industry, motorized enthusiasts, canyoneering groups, Arizona businesses, academics, and watchdog groups that focus on mining and land exchanges. The Access Fund also benefits from the advice of respected and experienced mining engineers and public interest law groups who specialize in mining issues. Together, our unified voice can save Oak Flat.
What we must communicate in concert is that were not anti-mine, but rather there is a way to mine the copper under Oak Flat without destroying the area. RCC (and its numerous PR firms) has effectively sold a proposal with beyond-belief economic benefits to Arizona. And they insist that public access to Oak Flat-with its unique and irreplaceable bouldering access-must be closed forever because of the possibility of massive subsidence (and complete destruction to all climbing in the area). The FoQC’s “win-win” scenario is possible because (1) the law is on our side, and (2) it has been proven elsewhere that profitable mines can be done in such a way that maintains the environmental and ecological integrity of the landscape.
This issue coincides with a new youth outreach initiative launched by the Access Fund called the boulderProject. Most of the climbing affected in the Oak Flat issue involves bouldering. The boulderProject communicates how climbers, the environment, and access are all interconnected with curriculum based outreach programs that can be administered through gyms, local climbing organizations, schools, athletes and volunteers. Further complimented with a full collateral program and interactive website (yet to be fully launched), the boulderProject seeks to inform while at the same to solidifying the connections amongst the climbing community from areas like Oak Flat, AZ to a local privately owned crag. “If climbers are accurately informed and can join together on issues such as Oak Flat, the fight to conserve access and the climbing environment will be done with a unified voice- that’s hard for decision-makers to ignore” says Robb Shurr, the Access Fund’s new director of marketing and business development.
Resolution Copper will be pushing for a land swap early in 2005. Currently, there is far too little information for anyone, including your elected officials, to support this proposal. Right now the most important thing is for the FoQC and its supporters to write their legislators in opposition to this impending land exchange bill. Please join the Friends of Queen Creek, the Access Fund, and the boulderProject to find a better way for Resolution Copper to contribute to the AZ economy without taking from the AZ environment.
For more information about how to contact your elected officials on this issue, see http://www.accessfund.org/programs/Queen_letter_6_… or email the Access Fund’s Policy Director Jason Keith at Jason@accessfund.org. Contact Robb Shurr at robb@Accessfund.org to get your company and customers involved.
