Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum

Meeting of September 29, 2007

An open community meeting of the Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum was held at Cady Hall in Patagonia from 9 to 11 on 29 September, 2007.

The agenda included:

an overview of proposed mining in our area by Richard Kamp, a reporter for the Wick newspapers. Many of you will be familiar with Richard through his superb, well researched, and carefully balanced summaries of mining issues in our area published in The Bulletin, The International and the Tucson Weekly.
a brief overview of the factors that influence the potential economic impacts (positive and negative) of mining. Later in the fall, we expect to be able to provide Forum members with more quantitative estimates of economic impact based on an ongoing study currently underway.
A summary of legislation that could influence the outcome of proposed mining both in Pima and Santa Cruz Counties and throughout the nation. As of this writing, we expect members of both Rep. Raul Grijalva's and Gabrielle Giffords' staffs to provide both background information regarding the legislation as well as a summary of current status and prospects.
Although not confirmed, we are hoping to arrange for representatives from Pima and Santa Cruz County to provide a brief summary of their views regarding the proposed mining activities.
A brief summary by a representative of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas who will provide a summary of their on-going and planned activities.
Open discussion aimed at eliciting further information regarding both planned mining activity and proposed legislative action.

The goal of the meeting is to provide members with the information they need in order to make thoughtful contributions to the ongoing dialog regarding mining and its impacts, and to provide helpful feedback to our Representatives in Washington and locally. Our planned discussion is particularly timely given that several bills should be working its way through the final stages of the legislative process in the House and Senate over the next several weeks.

Because decisions regarding mining - however they turn out - will have a major effect on the future of our community, I hope that you, our members and e-mail "correspondents", will take the time to join the discussion, become informed, develop viewpoints based on facts, and take the time to make your views known to those in a position to do something on our behalf: our legislators.