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Patagonia Regional Times
A Brief Look at South32’s Hermosa Mine Plan of Operations
On January 30, South32 released to the public their 215-page Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) for the $2 billion Hermosa Project. The mandated plan was submitted to the Forest Service (FS) last August and deemed complete by the FS last December. It provides a detailed concept on how South32 plans to operate the mining project from start to finish.
New Sign Unveiled in Patagonia
The Town of Patagonia and the Sky Islands Tourism Association have teamed up with the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance (SCVHA) to create and install a 4’ x 3’ sign in front of the Patagonia Town Hall, identifying and promoting local areas of interest. SCVHA is the “local coordinating entity” for the Santa Cruz Valley Natural Heritage Area (SCVNHA).
Sky Island ‘FotaFauna’ January Highlights
FotoFauna highlights from January are in — and this month we’ve got a spritely collection of critters. Stars include a pack of coyotes, two gray foxes, and a javelina having a bath. Check out this video from our Wildlife Specialist Miguel Enríquez. A little background for those...
Southern Arizona Coalition Invites Community Organizations and Local Governments To Co-Develop Regional Strategy for $50 Million Investment
Santa Cruz County, Pima County, and the City of Tucson invite all interested community organizations to participate in a series of Strategy Development Workshops for potential sub-grantees interested in proposing strategies and projects for consideration in the $50M EDA Recompete Phase 2 grant application. The Santa Cruz River Corridor (SCRC)...
Santa Cruz County Community Foundation Welcomes Evan Kory As Economic Recovery Corps Fellow
NOGALES, AZ (February 8, 2024) – Santa Cruz County Community Foundation (SCCF), a geographic affiliate of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA), has been selected as a host organization for a new Economic Recovery Corps program (ERC) launching this month at 65 host locations across 44 states and territories.
South32 Board Approves $2.16 Billion Investment in Hermosa Project
This is a developing story. Following is the press release from South32 in text, PDF (English) and PDF (Spanish). SOUTH32 ANNOUNCES HISTORIC $2.16 BILLION INVESTMENT IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA HERMOSA PROJECT. South32’s Hermosa project, currently the only advanced mining project in the United States capable of producing two federally designated critical...
PUHS Girls Get First-Round Pairing in State Basketball Tournament
The Patagonia High girls basketball team will play at Fort Thomas on Tuesday at 5pm in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament. The Lobos, playing in the state tournament for the first time since 2016, ended up ranked 14th in 1A despite winning their final five games. They are 14-9 overall and 11-6 in games that are factored into the state rankings.
Doggone
According to Oxford Languages, ‘doggone’ can be an adjective used to express feelings of annoyance, surprise, or pleasure, or a verb used to express surprise, irritation, or anger. That is one versatile word. For the past several years, ever since being introduced to the area by a friend...
Glimpses Into Our Past: Houghton Hedgcock and Reagan Gardner
The Santa Cruz Fair Association (SCFA) was incorporated in 1915 when a group of residents collaborated to create an association “for the purpose of having an annual fair.” In 1916 Sonoita residents Wade Purdum and Frank Rigsby each donated ten acres of land and volunteers constructed a wood frame building at the site of today’s Pioneer Hall.
Sky Islands Conifers, Part II
Now it’s time to shed some light on the family of conifers found in our neck of the woods, namely species in the Pinacea, or pine family. Even those poor in botanical skills can recognize this family in Arizona, owing to the needle-shaped, evergreen leaves present on all of our Sky Island species—quite unlike the scale-like foliage found in the cypress family.
Some Sage Advice
Do you know the difference between the types of sage? ‘Sage Advice Part One’ will highlight the Leucophyllum sages while part two will unravel the mystery of the salvias. Leucophyllum comes from the Greek—leucos meaning white, and phyllos meaning leaf. All Leucophyllum have fuzzy and whitish or silvery foliage. While it’s commonly called sage, it’s not actually a true sage.
Moons and Me
There are eight planets and a growing number of dwarf planets in our solar system. Around them, orbiting them, are close to 300 moons of all shapes, sizes, and temperaments. In the early 17th century, Galileo, using a telescope with a magnification of just 10, not only discovered Jupiter’s four largest moons, but proved that the Earth was not the hub around which everything else circled. It was cataclysmic. We were forced to accept that we weren’t the center of the universe, just a tiny part of it.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day With a Rockin’ Favorite
Raise your hand if you like dessert. In February we celebrate love with sweets for the sweet. Their form can be anything—candy, cookies, brownies, cakes. But most important—chocolate. One recipe from the Cowbelles’ 1951 cookbook, “Roundup Recipes,” hits the mark with the use of that confection. It came...
Patagonia Citizen Survey Seeks Input
Change is happening in Patagonia, much faster than ever before. That’s what long-time residents are reporting in the “Our Town, Patagonia” citizen survey and discussion groups. Hearing long-time residents’ historical perspectives is essential to meeting the challenge of our time: Preserving town character and quality of life....
PRCF Receives Estate Gifts
The Patagonia Regional Community Fund (PRCF) recently received a generous bequest from the estate of the late Jim Kolbe, whose family was former owners of the Rail X Ranch. Kolbe was a former U.S. Congressman representing Southern Arizona from 1985 to 2007, and a longtime annual PRCF contributor. PRCF is a collection of funds affiliated with the statewide Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) that receives donations from local residents, invests those donations in professionally managed endowments which steadily grow and last forever into the future. The funds then make grants, via an annual competitive grant making process, to over 40 other nonprofits providing services in our community.
Town Council Notes – Feb. 2024
In Old Business, Heather Floyd of Valley Telecomm Group (VTG) updated the Town on the progress of their project to bring fiber optic interconnection to Patagonia homes and businesses. VTG employees will install and connect the customers’ equipment at no charge. To encourage customers, there will be an introductory discount, and speeds that are substantially higher than most Patagonia-area internet users currently have available. She anticipates her company will start a six-to-nine month installation program this spring, and finish by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
Notes From SEFD: Outfitting a Firefighter
The protective gear worn by our Sonita-Elgin Fire District (SEFD) firefighters is manufactured to standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and none of it is cheap. This turnout gear can weigh 50 to 75 pounds, including helmet, gloves, boots, coats and pants. Three layers—the shell, moisture barrier,...
Errors and Omissions – Feb. 2024
Kenny Hayes, superintendent of the Patagonia Schools, has responded to ‘A Plea for Music Education in Our Schools,’ an opinion piece by Pat McNamara published in the January PRT:. Mrs. McNamara’s article is incorrect about no schools offering music classes in the Sky Islands. Patagonia Schools District...
Limits on Mearns Quail Need to Change
Is it time for the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGF) to adjust the limit on Mearns quail? In view of the fact that 90% of Mearns quail hunting takes place within a hour’s drive of the Patagonia-Sonoita area, many hunters, resident and non-resident, think that they should. Here’s why some hunters, myself included, feel that reducing the limit to five birds per day in a good monsoon year, and dropping it to three birds per day in a poor monsoon, would be a smart move, both biologically and socially.
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Patagonia Regional Times is a free monthly publication serving the Mountain Empire communities of Canelo, Elgin, Patagonia and Sonoita in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
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