I don't think the effect on groundwater was the major thing on the mined of the anti mining advocates who first "investigated it" (Cerro San Pedro) with chicken little arguments about the patrimony of the area etc.. any more than legislatures in Montana took a look at the actual residue/effect/impact from cyanide leaching from open pit mines when they erected a Berlin wall against that puppy way back when. The Montana statute is a masterpiece of simplicity. I think it runs to two lines. "Momma and Montana don't allow no open pit cyanide leaching round here." It is a actually not much more. Sort of like a city council resolution about parking on the wrong side of the street during snow removal season.. No whereases, heretofores, tabled studies, or recommendations of scientific bodies. Just "say no to leaching". If you have an open pit and yen to sprinkle. The Mexican situation is a little different. The group against the mining is a political SIG or special action group who have been anti industrial from day one. Fringe is putting it kindly. Frothing fringe is more accurate. And as usual in LA, there is some opposition, not as organized press wise. Advocates of working for a living in the area never seem to become as well supported by political handouts. They need to get busy with their internet profile. But Joe Tequila Bottle looking for 10 pesos an hour is just not in the same political league and save the whales. He can however hide in the shadows of a bar door, and glare at the organizers of the patrimony league who step out of their swank hotel digs to shout in a megaphone in the twon square about Mexican family values and yanqui imperialist gold megaindustry. And perhaps he is not above giving the organizer a rude shove, or suggesting where he can put his megaphone. Seems they are always complaining about getting the tires flattened on their limousines when visiting San Pedro to tell the local folks how they should be thinking. One even suggeste he got beat up when in town. Strange. He did not go so far as to say women where being raped and soldiers were parading, but we expect a declaration to that effect any day now. And you won't see the Fifth Estate doing man on the street interview in San Luis or Cerro San. Doesn't fit their political spectrum to hear about that. Steven Lewis will sign the petition. There may be whales there worth saving.
Wanting to preserve a ghost town is a noble concept. I think ghost towns are great. I am not sure what rights they have vis vis heritage of adobe edifices etc.. but I am sure Simon Bolivar's horse whinnies in the alleyway by the old church at the light of the full moon. During the day he hides under the old Avocado tree when the blast from the mine brings back the spectre of his last stand San Juan hill. He threw a shoe and his commander too that day going back down the other side. Here come the Yanqui's, their gold and their guns. Perhaps he can haunt some noble citizens into doing their duty and protecting his memory.
Tourism of the little hamlet is just what they need. Should blow Cancun off the map. And hey! No drug dealers. They wouldn't come near the place for an Imperial barrel of coca loca. I am sure after visiting the town square and listening to La Cucaracha a few times in the hot sun there would be plenty of fun things to do. Aging hippies can be creative. There is a great place to blow a few spliffs by the water fountain. Oops! better not go there. Could be tad heavy in stuff since the closed the mine.
Cerro San Pedro - Artist's Conception After Eco-Patrimony Tourist Boom Peaks (and they Discover Oil).
Don't look for an environmental smoking gun with dead lizards in a tell tale trail all the way back to the burbs of San Luis and progressively greater birth weights as one goes south of the environs. The reason cattle skulls don't adorn streams emanating from cyanide operations around the world (or in Mexico, Nevada Arizona et al, is either because the 1. great cattle drives across deserts are a thing of the past, cowboy labour being what it is thee days, 2. the cyanide causes complete evaporation of the carcass, and the bones, 3. it disguises itself as alkaline ponds which do that sort of thing to animules naturallement, or more likely 4. a consortium of big business cyanide barons has a secret removal program for all_the_damning_evidence_which_would_prove_the_greenpeace_allegations.
The latter is too compelling to not believe. "They" do have a vested interest in global gold, cowboys are out of work these days, and don't mind handling the odd carcass for a few pesos. Trucks, atv's and a backhoe will do short work on the offending beasts. It adds up. The stories about zero biomagnificaiton of cyanide being of little concern are to be discounted. Where did those rumours start? They probably say the same thing about flu vaccines.
I am glad they haven't hit oil yet. Petromex would have the village razed in a microsecond.
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