Mining company to start exploratory drilling in Oak Flat, home to thousands of world-class climbs

A decades-long dispute over land home to thousands of Arizona climbs and sacred Native American sites may be hitting its tipping point. 

Resolution Copper Mining said it intends to start exploratory drilling in a disputed parcel of land in Oak Flat, about 60 miles east of Phoenix.

The corporation, a joint venture of Rio Tinto and BHP, spelled out its plans in a letter filed to the US Supreme Court on March 15. 

“After years of unwarranted litigation delay, Resolution deserves to be able to get to work immediately on the land it now owns,” reads the letter.

“Starting tomorrow, Resolution will mobilize a drill rig to begin exploratory drilling beneath the newly private parcel.”

However, it seems the work will not take place on undisturbed ground. The mining company told Gripped exploratory drilling has been occurring in the area for the last 15 years.

“Drilling will continue to take place on the same drill sites, accessed by the same roads that have been used for the last 15 years,” reads a statement from the company. 

This followed days after the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled to deny an injunction that would prevent federal land from transferring to Resolution.

As a result of the decision, there are no immediate legal barriers preventing the company from proceeding with mining operations there.

The history of the disputed land deal and the effect of mining in Oak Flat

The start of drilling is a significant development in a contentious federal land swap. Resolution Copper Mining has been seeking control of the land since Congress greenlighted the deal in 2014. 

At that time, the land transfer was tagged onto a Pentagon funding bill that was signed by then-President Barack Obama. Opponents were critical, saying it was a last-minute provision that was attached to a must-pass defense bill. It has since been mired in legal battles.

According to the terms of the deal, the federal government would give the 2,400-acre Oak Flat parcel to Resolution. In exchange, the company would transfer over 5,400 acres of land to the federal government.

Resolution has proposed a copper mine in the area.

It will employ underground mining using a technique called panel caving. This method is anticipated to create a ground surface collapse over several years. About 1.4 billion tons of ore are expected to be extracted in the process.

The end result?

The formation of a crater up to 1,115 feet deep and roughly 1.8 miles across, according to the latest US Forest Service environmental impact statement for the project.

A tailings storage facility will be used to house waste, and its “disturbance footprint” could be up to 5,900 acres, the report says.

Hundreds of boulder problems may be lost. But the company is promising climbing access to a number of areas.

Locals estimate there are about 1,000 routes and 2,000 boulder problems in Oak Flat. And it’s attracted some of the best climbers in the world. 

“Oak Flat is sharp, pockety, crimpy, and absolutely incredible. The climbing is tough, but once you get the hang of it, you fall in love with the boulders,” said Sierra Blair, a professional climber based in Arizona. 

It’s the area where Blair got into outdoor climbing, and she has fond memories of it.

“It’s something I have always hoped would never actually happen,” she said, noting the recent court decision. “I hope there is some fighting chance the area won’t be destroyed.”

This has been a common worry. However, at the moment, there seems to have been some progress in preserving climbs in the area. 

A representative from an access group in the area said locals have been working with the company to find ways to preserve as many climbs as possible. 

“There’s a loss, but not as great as it once was,” said Paul Diefendorfer, a board member of the Queen Creek Coalition.

However, it’s still an imperfect situation. Hundreds of boulder problems could be gone.

“The primary loss is to bouldering as opposed to roped climbing,” said Diefendorfer.

This would include some unrepeated problems that were first sent during the Phoenix Bouldering Competition, Diefendorfer said. 

That event attracted big names such as Tommy Caldwell, Chris Sharma, Stephanie Forte and Beth Rodden.

Queen Creek Coalition has been working with Resolution to ensure climbers will still get as much access as possible. One way has been to use a registration system.

Initially, the mine planned on shutting down access to everything in the area, Diefendorfer said. But after negotiations, both parties were able to find workarounds in some cases.

“You’ll still be able to climb there. The access will change,” he said. “For instance, the route into Apache Leap, which is getting more popular every day, it seems, will have to be rerouted… That’s the kind of stuff we’re going to work on to mitigate the loss of climbing.”

At the end of the day, it’s far from an ideal situation for climbers, he said, but it could be worse.

A representative from Resolution Copper told Gripped the company intends to allow climbers on the land.

“There will not be any closures in the foreseeable future. The following climbing areas will not be closed: Atlantis, the Pond, Northern Devil’s Canyon, Apache Leap, The Refuge, Lower Devil’s Canyon, Upper Devil’s Canyon, Rawhide Road Boulders,” reads a statement from the company.

“Euro Dog, Oak Flat, and portions of the Mine Area are currently the only climbing areas anticipated to close, and any such closures would not occur for at least a decade.”

All other climbing areas are expected to remain open, Resolution said, with alternative access routes developed where needed to maintain continued use. 

“Resolution Copper will fund improvements to access and usability at areas such as The Inconceivables and Chill Hill Boulders, helping to enhance climbing opportunities in the region,” the statement continued.

The company also promised a new campground by the nearby town of Superior and 20 miles of new multiuse trails, among other things.

The legal battles surrounding the land transfer

Environmentalists, Indigenous peoples, and climbing access advocates have been fighting the land transfer in court, saying it will pose significant damage or destruction to wildlife, the environment and sacred Apache sites.

Prior to the Court of Appeals decision on March 13, three lawsuits had been filed in court to fight the transfer.

One lawsuit challenging the land exchange was filed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Another was brought by the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, Earthworks, the Center for Biological Diversity, Access Fund, the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter and the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, Inc. 

Finally, another was brought by individual Apache women to protect their access to Oak Flat for religious ceremonies.

In a news release from the Access Fund, a representative from the Center for Biological Diversity decried the court decision.

“This is devastating news for Oak Flat and everyone who loves this sacred place,” said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. 

“The fight isn’t over, even if Oak Flat becomes the property of a multinational mining giant. I’m hopeful this treasured place will be returned to the people once the legal problems with the land exchange get a full airing in court. We’ll use every tool we have to push back and protect Oak Flat once and for all.”

Indeed, it appears the dispute hasn’t ended. 

Over the weekend, a group of individual Apache women filed an emergency application in the Supreme Court for another injunction to prevent the land transfer.

This was met with opposing court filings from both Resolution Copper Mining and U.S. Solicitor General, D. John Sauer.

For its part, Diefendorfer said the Queen Creek Coalition has refrained from legal battles.

He said that mining activity has long been a part of the area, and that made it an easy ask for Congress to approve the land transfer back in 2014. 

“This was mined up until not too long ago,” said Diefendorfer. “Now, [it was] a different type of mining; much smaller impact; but still there’s tunnels and things all over up there.”

He said the nearby town of Superior was built on that industry. 

“We took the approach of, ‘Well, shit, we can’t stop this,’” said Diefendorfer. 

“There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell, so to speak. How do we mitigate it? That’s the approach we ended up taking.”

From a perspective of climbers’ access, it may have yielded some results.

“We welcome climbers and other recreational users to continue enjoying Resolution Copper private lands,” reads the final line of a statement Resolution issued to Gripped.

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