Tell the Forest Service to Protect the Gila National Forest from Mining
U.S. Forest Service
3/6/26 UPDATE: Your voice made a difference! Ivanhoe Electric has withdrawn its draft exploration Plan of Operations citing a marginal copper ore body in the Pinos Altos area. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto filed documentation with the BLM and Grant County Clerk's Office for 250 mining claims across 5,000 acres of the Gila National Forest adjacent to the Continental Divide Trail northwest of Silver City.
We need to remain vigilant and keep the pressure on. Sign the petition and send it to your family and friends!
NOTE: This petition has been modified slightly to reflect the latest developments.
Speak up to protect the Gila National Forest from new mining exploration projects!
In 2024, U.S.-based mineral exploration company Ivanhoe Electric, through its subsidiary Pinos Altos Exploration, staked 642 lode claims covering 13,264 acres of Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and private land encircling the community of Pinos Altos, located 8 miles north of Silver City and considered the “gateway” to the Gila National Forest, Gila Cliff Dwellings, and Gila Wilderness.
In early 2026, Kennecott Exploration, the exploration arm of global mining giant Rio Tinto, filed 250 claims over 5,000 acres of Gila National Forest land north of Silver City. Other corporations are also rapidly laying claim to subsurface minerals in other areas around the state. It seems like no coincidence given the regulatory rollbacks of the current administration.
Exploration activities could negatively impact the forest’s natural resources and wildlife, Inventoried Roadless Areas, water supplies, recreational opportunities, property values of homes located adjacent to the Gila National Forest, and the local economy.
Tell the Forest Service that mining exploration and industrial-scale mining do not belong in the Gila National Forest!
- The Forest Service must provide public notice, public review, and public comment on exploration proposals.
- The Agency must consider the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the proposal in its decision making.
SIGN THE PETITION TODAY AND PERSONALIZE WITH YOUR INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS! (Go to the top right of this page.)
For more information:
Organization comment letter to the Gila National Forest
Ivanhoe Claims maps, Rio Tinto Claims Map , Ivanhoe/Rio Tinto Claims Map
Silver City Daily Press - 1/13/26 - New Mining Claims Staked Around PA
Silver City Daily Press - 2/26/26 - Mining the Gila: One Steps Back, Another Steps In
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
U.S. Forest Service
From:
[Your Name]
I am writing to you regarding mineral exploration in the Gila National Forest.
Mineral exploration and industrial-scale mining do not belong in the Gila National Forest due to the negative impacts of these activities on the forest’s natural resources and wildlife, Inventoried Roadless Areas, water supplies, recreational opportunities, property values of homes located adjacent to the Gila National Forest, and the local economy.
I strongly urge you to provide public notice, public review, and public comment on any new exploration proposal and consider the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the proposal in your decision making.
Please protect the Gila National Forest from mineral exploration and mining given the harmful impacts of these activities on Grant County’s natural resources, economy and quality of life.
Thank you for considering my input.