Arizona is pockmarked with abandoned copper pit after pit and associated toxic tailings. There are also some active pits and old ones starting back up. Finally there are plans for another new giant pit on the north end of the Santa Rita Mountains in extreme southern Arizona.

Remote cameras at the site run by Arizona Game and Fish and the University of Arizona have just shown a full body (10 photos in all) of a male jaguar. Of course jaguar are an endangered species in the United States. There have been sightings, but not so well confirmed, of a jaguar in the Santa Ritas. It is not known if this is the only one.

The copper company folks were quick to point out that jaguar range around and that there are other places for him to live. However, the Santa Rita are a small (but tall in the center) mountain range. The nearby alternative habitat is good but not extensive. The mine site is about 7000 acres (10 square miles). A recent study concluded that the mine would degrade wildlife habitat on an additional 90,000 acres!

The mine issue is not just the jaguar or the birds. Endangered or threatened species are all over the area of the Santa Ritas — nine more in total.

Madera Canyon, not far to the SW of the mine site is one of the most famous birding spots in the southwest.

Also in the Santa Ritas is Patagonia Lake east of Nogales. It is also a very popular wildlife, recreation and birding area, a state park. It suffers, however, from heavy metal pollution from the many old mine diggings in the tributary streams uphill from this 260-acre man made lake. It would not be affected by this mine, but shows the toll mining has taken on this crowded part of Arizona. The area around the nearby mountain town of Patagonia, however, is under assault by a Canadian mining company that wants to dig pits for silver. This too will affect jaguar and many other species and change, some say “ruin” the economy of the town.

The Arizona Daily Star gives more information on the jaguar photographs. New photos show entire jaguar . By Tony Davis.

The mine would be mostly on federal land, where over the years huge messes have been made, but the 1872 mining law has prevented the collection of any royalties from the extraction of “hard rock” minerals like copper. See Dec. 13 story on this: Report: Mineral royalties untapped. Us doesn’t know how much companies make off public lands . By Tony Davis. Arizona Daily Star.