South32’s sudden removal of panel members who have worked in good faith to raise issues of community concern erodes trust.
Carolyn Shafer
Posted inOpinion
Is Our Water Threatened?
Several current applications from South32 Mining may affect our local watershed for years to come. Applications for permission to discharge water from the mines into Harshaw Creek at a rate of millions of gallons per day for several years have caused the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) to ask these questions: •Where will these large […]
Posted inOpinion
There Are Two Sides to This Story
South32 representatives presented an update of mining company activities at the Nov. 13, 2019 Town of Patagonia Town Council meeting. During that update, South32 Hermosa President Pat Risner stated that South32 had saved the taxpayers “tens of millions of dollars” because of the installation of the active water treatment plant as part of the remediation […]
Posted inOpinion
Surviving the Transition
These are bizarre times with all systems, political, social, economic, natural, and spiritual in transition. There is some form of ecosystem assault everywhere on this precious planet. Our global challenge is the climate crisis; the science is undeniable that the ecosystem is in rapid decline. Our local challenge is 21st century industrialized mining repeating a […]
Posted inLocal News
Activists Lobby for Reform
PARA spokesperson Carolyn Shafer joined other community activists in Washington, D.C. to lobby for reform of the 1872 Mining Act. (From left) Kimberly Strong of Chilkat Indian village, Karri Kabyle of Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition, Senator Tom Udall, Representative Raul Grijalva, Carolyn Shafer. On Thursday, May 9, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva’s (D-AZ) bill HR2579 to […]
Posted inColumns
Articles of Faith: Transmutation
Photo by Jon Rinaldi A strong impression from my recent road trip, the Ancient Ones Journey, is COMMUNITY and relationship to place. The time period of the Ancient Ones’ stories during this journey is around 1100 AD all across what we now define as Arizona. Then, as now, there are the challenges of the physical […]
Posted inCommunity
Local Women’s Group Formed
2017 is a “perfect storm” year, in that everything is up for change. The days and events move at warp speed and bring Shock and Awe, a term coined to describe a 1996 military doctrine “based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield […]
Posted inCommunity
Mindful Waste Disposal
What do a malfunctioning computer, an old paint can, and a leftover bottle of prescription medication have in common? They are all items that should be disposed of carefully. Why? Because if these items are not disposed of properly they contaminate the water and the soil and ultimately poison the food and water we consume, […]
Posted inCommunity
The Nature Preserve Has a New Manager
Luke Reese is the newly appointed manager of the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve. Reese has a degree in forestry and worked part-time at the preserve in 2012, as a member of Ameri-Corps, a civil society program. Providing education and outreach, he worked with volunteers in stewardship activities such as managing trails and mapping the size and […]
Posted inOpinion
Redefining Rural Economic Development
On August 7 and 8, I attended the Eighth Annual Rural Policy Forum in Globe to learn more about the experiences of other Arizona rural communities. The sold-out conference was presented by the Arizona Rural Development Council and Local First Arizona. Attendance was evenly divided among government representatives, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. There were 22 […]