In the past few years an endangered ocelot and America's only known jaguar have been repeatedly photographed by wildlife cameras in the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson, Arizona.
These beautiful cats are thriving in the prime habitat the area provides. They're intrepid pioneers attempting to reclaim areas where they were wiped out in the past century.
But a proposed open-pit copper mine would destroy their homes, along with a critical movement corridor that's essential to other cats recolonizing Arizona, their home for thousands of years.
Please take action today to urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to uphold the Endangered Species Act and protect these big cats' homes.
I'm writing with great concern over the proposed Rosemont Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains of southern Arizona. I'm pleased to hear that the Service is taking another look at the protected species that will be harmed by this mine -- but decisive action is what's needed to stop this project for good.
[Your comment will be added here]
The discovery of an ocelot near the proposed mine site is great news, but alarming at the same time. Just as with the jaguar currently living there, this rare ocelot is a part of the natural heritage of Arizona. Unfortunately these animals cannot coexist with Rosemont Mine, which would destroy thousands of acres of prime habitat and sever wildlife corridors that are critical to their recovery in the United States.
Groundwater pumping from the mine also threatens to dewater nearby Cienega Creek. This would hurt several protected aquatic and riparian-dependent species, including the Gila chub, Gila topminnow, Chiricahua leopard frog, northern Mexican garter snake and yellow-billed cuckoo.
As you well know, the vast majority of our precious riparian areas in Arizona and the Southwest have already been degraded or destroyed. And so it's unconscionable to add Cienega Creek to that list for a project as short-lived as this mine. Please -- do everything in your power to take all available steps to protect these areas and the rare and vulnerable species that would be hurt by an open-pit mine at Rosemont.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
