Orchid delays Rosemont mine near Tucson....

[reptilist]

That's a really pretty flower....But is is worth it?

As a miner/environmentalist I been riding the fence on this new mine... but given the state of the economy right now, I've been leaning a little bit towards "mine, baby, mine."
(Most of the people against the mine are angry that it will ruin their view. Of course they are mostly retirees who moved here from Michigan... They got their piece of the pie already.)

But, it is a beautiful plant, isn't it?

http://azstarnet.com/news/science/envir ... 2ee2e.html

[rppp01a]

The other reason for delay is to give the Forest Service more time to review studies conducted by a Rosemont consultant of the effects of pumping out the aquifer underneath the site to enable the company to dig an open pit.

I do not think most people understand how precious our water is here in this state. But sure, keep destroying our water sources- it'll never run out, right? Right?

[reptilist]

Yeah, Tucson depends on the diminishing underground aquifer...
It would not be a good idea to waste it, and there are ways to make good use of the water they encounter so long as they are compelled to do just that.

[rppp01a]

so long as they are compelled to do just that.

When have you known this to be the case? I can't think of a single mining or drilling entity that cares a wit for anything but profit for themselves.

[reptilist]

haha!
Then you don't know a whole lot about modern mining companies!

[rppp01a]

Admittedly, no. I am always open to learning, however.

[reptilist]

I have two decades of mining experience. And I can tell you that a lot has changed in the attitudes among the big players...They are into making money, not losing it through fines and sanctions. The mining executives that I know are very, very serious about going above and beyond the federal and state environmental/safety regulations.

The key is regulation... Just like capitalists and industrialists everywhere, without controls and limits placed upon them, they would just take the money and run, leaving waste and ruin in their wake. Miners in third world countries do just that! (Heck, stock brokers and investment bankers do just that.) But here in America, thanks to us environmentalists acting as whistle blowers and the regulatory agencies doing their jobs, the mining companies do a very good job of following the rules... And we should be praising them for good behavior, instead of harping on them for sins of the past.

Going around damning the mining business because it is in vogue among the environmental groups is just a form of submission to peer pressure. Show me any town, any city, and I'll show you far more environmental poisoning and habitat damage than you'll find in a modern American mine.

[Ghost]

I'm new to this forum but this story is in my neighborhood. I got on an orchid kick a few years ago and studied this very plant. I went to the U of A and asked to look at their dried specimens of that orchid and another. The revoluta specimen, if I recall correctly, was missing from its place in the book. It IS rare, depending on climate conditions. I have gone out looking for these guys and as yet haven't seen one, however I pass by the mine area frequently and am of mixed feelings about the idea of an open pit; if the mining company would maybe cultivate these guys everyone could enjoy them and they'd be off the orchid hook, win friends and influence people. By the way...I heartily concur with the Michigan reference near the top of the thread.

[reptilist]

I hate to lose any natural habitat....to industry, population, immigration, exploitation....I'd rather save the orchids....
The real answer is to stop the population growth....fat chance doing that.

[rppp01a]

I wish I could classify myself. Sometimes I think it'd be easier. The reality of it all is that as long as people demand more, those who can will try and provide. We are over populated, undoubtedly. I remember growing up with dirt roads a few miles from the house- hanging out in lands that were deserts that are now cities. So much has changed ...

I just hope that the land we love today is around for the grand children of my children when they are grown.