NMWILD News:

SILVER CITY — Last week, 14 conservation groups alongside numerous local businesses and community members sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) outlining serious concerns regarding a new mining threat in the Antelope Pass area in Hidalgo County, NM. Just north of NM Highway 9, in the Peloncillo Mountain range, Antelope Pass is home to the Antelope Pass Research Natural Area (RNA), a Special Management Area designated by the BLM specifically to protect biological and research values, and in particular, an exceptional diversity of lizard species and outstanding habitat values. 

Recently, Almadex America Inc. (Almadex), a subsidiary of the Canadian mining company Almadex Minerals, has filed at least 132 claims in the area, the vast majority of which fall inside or directly adjacent to the RNA. As the letter points out, Antelope Pass RNA “harbor[s] the highest lizard diversity of any comparably sized area in the continental United States,” and is also the only known location in the world where a genetically distinct population of the Dixon’s whiptail lizard is found. Other rare and special-status species, such as the imperiled night-blooming cereus cactus, are also found in the RNA.

Also of concern to the letter’s signers are the impacts that any mining and mineral exploration would have on the region’s phenomenal dark skies. As the letter notes, “southwestern Hidalgo County contains some of the darkest night skies in the continental United States, classified as Bortle 1,” and “three of the most successful remote astronomical telescope hosting sites in the United States are located in this area, collectively supporting more than 250 telescopes owned by astronomers from eleven different nations across three continents, as well as telescope owners from 43 U.S. states.” Increased light pollution and dust that would result from mining activity could be catastrophic to this nationally important astronomical area.

While, to the signers’ knowledge, no formal Notice or Plan of Operations have yet been submitted to the BLM, Almadex’s own public announcements about what they call the “Big Sky” project mention active rock sampling, soil sampling, as well as induced polarization (IP) geophysical surveys—raising serious concern that impactful exploratory work may already be underway, perhaps outside of BLM regulations.

Among other requests to the BLM, the letter’s authors ask that a thorough investigation take place into what exploratory activities have already occurred, and that there be a robust public engagement process in light of the extraordinary ecological, scientific, dark sky, and cultural values at stake.

“Antelope Pass is one of those places that might not look remarkable to the casual observer, but from an ecological perspective, it is extraordinarily important,” said Luke Koenig, Gila Grassroots Organizer for New Mexico Wild and one of the letter’s authors. “The broader Peloncillo Mountain range, of which it is a part, serves as the primary cross-border wildlife connection between the Southern Rocky Mountains and Mexico, making it one of the most important wildlife corridors in North America.” He added, “This is also a landscape that has already been formally recognized for its biological significance through its designation as a Research Natural Area. There are appropriate places for mining, and there are places that simply are not. This place is clearly not.”

“Beyond the ecological record, the Chiricahua Regional Council speaks for a community of residents, ranchers, landowners, recreationists, and stewards who depend on the character and integrity of southwestern New Mexico’s public lands for their livelihoods, well-being, and sense of place,” said Dirk Sigler, Chiricahua Regional Council President and another of the letter’s authors. “The Peloncillo region is a destination for wildlife observation, hunting, hiking, backcountry recreation, and astronomy—activities that are economically meaningful to rural Hidalgo County. A gold mine development in this area would impose noise, heavy equipment traffic, dust, altered hydrology, and the risk of long-term contamination that would fundamentally alter the quality of life of those living in and visiting this landscape. Clearly, we ought to place the values of the people and landscape of southwestern New Mexico above the profit motives of a foreign company.”

“Antelope Pass is in the crosshairs of the current mineral exploration boom, fueled by federal subsidies for mineral development, the current administration’s push to expand mining on public lands, and the weakening of federal environmental protections. This ecologically and culturally important landscape must not become the latest sacrifice zone for short-term extraction and corporate profit. The Bureau of Land Management should prevent irreversible damage to this unique natural area that supports the endangered night-blooming cereus and high biodiversity of lizard species, including the rare Dixon’s whiptail lizard,” said Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of Gila Resources Information Project.

The groups are calling on the BLM to act swiftly to protect Antelope Pass before exploratory activities cause irreversible harm to one of the Southwest’s most ecologically significant landscapes. The full letter can be found on the New Mexico Wild website here.