Community

Rosemont intends to be a good neighbour, a good employer and a good corporate citizen in southern Arizona.

During Rosemont’s permitting and consultation process, we listened to community concerns and responded by offering to implement mitigation and conservation measures that go beyond those typically required by regulatory authorities. These voluntary measures were added to the list of mitigation activities included in Rosemont’s permitting requirements. The result was a world-class mitigation plan with conservation, recreational and cultural commitments totaling more than $150 million. Here are some of the measures that we will support:

Conservation

Rosemont aims to help protect and enhance conservation and recreation in the region. The Company will provide $25 million to support a trust dedicated to conservation, recreation, education, and cultural and environmental projects.

Wildlife Conservation

Rosemont will take innovative steps to preserve and protect local plant and animal populations.

  • For example, the operation will conduct “camera trapping,” covering the site with sensor-equipped cameras that capture animal movements day and night. Images from the cameras will be reviewed regularly by a trained biologist, and the findings will be shared with Hudbay and the relevant regulatory agencies.
  • To enhance understanding of large predators, Rosemont will fund extensive mitigation and monitoring measures for endangered species, including jaguars and ocelots. Total estimated spending is expected to exceed $8 million over a 20-year period.
  • Rosemont will plant approximately 38,000 agave plants on site as part of its reclamation activities. These native plants will enhance the food supply of lesser long-nosed bats.
  • Rosemont will also provide $4.25 million to the US Forest Service for western yellow-billed cuckoo and southwestern willow flycatcher habitat enhancement, and for projects to manage and remove harmful non-native species. In addition, Rosemont will provide funding to the US Forest Service for a full-time biologist position to oversee conservation measures at Rosemont.

Habitat Conservation – The Sonoita Creek Project

Rosemont will implement conservation measures on 4,500-plus acres of private land, including the Sonoita Creek Ranch (SCR) restoration project – a cornerstone of the mitigation package for the Rosemont project. The nearly 1,600-acre ranch in the Santa Rita Mountains was used decades ago for farming and ranching. Under the project, Rosemont is working to completely restore the Sonoita Creek and its historic floodplain. Significant parts of Sonoita Creek had been artificially channelized for decades for agricultural purposes, cutting off tributary drainages from the Creek’s mainstem. The restoration project involves re-establishing a channel of Sonoita Creek to the historic floodplain, planting 8,400 trees within the floodplain, rehabilitating the existing channel and re-establishing naturally tributary drainages to the Creek’s mainstem.

The project is expected to return the Sonoita Creek floodplain to a better functioning dry-desert riparian system. In addition, the two existing ponds on the Sonoita Creek Ranch will be renovated to support the recovery of federally listed aquatic species. We will construct channels to carry overflows from the ponds to the Sonoita Creek floodplain.

To prevent impacts from domestic livestock, cattle grazing will not be permitted on the ranch. A wildlife-friendly barrier will be installed that provides wildlife access to the ranch and will direct wildlife to a culvert crossing to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.

  • In a separate initiative, Rosemont will provide $2 million to the Cienega Creek Watershed Conservation Fund to preserve and enhance aquatic and riparian ecosystems.

Recreation

  • Rosemont will provide $650,000 for two new trailheads and hiking trails to be constructed by the Arizona Trail Association.
  • A separate $800,000 contribution will be provided to the Coronado National Forest to develop facilities and infrastructure for alternative off-highway vehicle trails.

Environment

Traditional cattle ranching as part of the Rosemont site

Community Giving

Following the start of operations, Rosemont will contribute $500,000 annually for 25 years (for a total of $12.5 million) to support community giving. Community giving priorities will be focused on education, social services, job training, and organizations that support military personnel and veterans. In 2018, Rosemont contributed more than $200,000 to local organizations and charities.

To request funding through Rosemont’s Giving Program, please contact us at rosemontgiving@hudbay.com.

Traffic on State Route 83

State Route 83 (SR 83) is the primary corridor that connects the Arizona communities of Sonoita, Elgin and Patagonia – and many rural households – to Tucson. It is also Rosemont’s primary access road, which will increase traffic volume when construction and operations begin. Project activities along SR 83 represent less than 10% of the entire roadway length and a visual impact of less than 5%. We will support traffic flow and road safety in a number of ways, including:

  • Constructing additional turn lanes and through-traffic lanes at the Rosemont site entrance to minimize the impact to traffic flow.
  • Implementing a delivery schedule that minimizes truck traffic during peak travel hours on SR 83.
  • Bussing Rosemont employees to the site when production begins.
  • Providing funding to the Arizona Department of Transportation for additional road safety enhancements.

Native Americans and the Rosemont Site

Rosemont will respect the connection Native Americans have with the land. To that end, we will develop and implement cultural sensitivity and archaeological training programs relating to cultural resources. We will also ensure that employees and contractors engaged in ground-disturbing activities receive ongoing training in site protection measures.

In addition, Rosemont’s permits require it to appropriately manage cultural resources prior to construction. A treatment plan has been developed through consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer and tribal representatives. Initial ground-disturbing activities near areas known to contain archaeological artifacts will be monitored by a professional archaeologist and a tribal representative for the presence of additional artifacts. As well, prior to construction, we will schedule a week-long site visit during which tribal representatives can collect plant specimens and conduct blessing ceremonies. Where appropriate, Rosemont will incorporate culturally significant plants in Rosemont’s reclamation seed mixture.

Rosemont will also create an exhibit at the Rosemont public visitor centre, located at the Rosemont site, that will describe the 7,000-year history of Native Americans in the project area and the importance of Ce:wi Duag (the Santa Rita Mountains) to the Native American community. The exhibit will also share knowledge gained as a result of the data recovery conducted for the project.