Tonto NF, Pinto Valley Mining Corps work together to protect Pinto Creek following Telegraph Fire

ARIZONA – A volunteer agreement between the Tonto National Forest and Pinto Valley Mining Corp., resulted in the Sept. 10 completion of a project to stabilize soil at the reclaimed, Blue Gate Mine within the Pinto Creek watershed.

Pinto Valley provided personnel, equipment and materials to perform maintenance on approximately one mile of Forest Road 349 in order to reach the project site. Workers installed 700 linear feet of straw wattles, which are man-made cylinders of compressed, weed-free straw used to form a continuous barrier to intercept water running down a slope. Wattles also increase water infiltration and reduce soil erosion.

Pinto Valley Mine is an existing open pit copper and molybdenum mine on private and National Forest System lands in the Globe Ranger District.

Concerns about post-fire flooding, runoff from the fire scar and resulting environmental impacts resulted in Pinto Valley initiating discussions on ways to assist the Tonto in the aftermath of the Telegraph Fire that burned through the area in June 2021.

Selection of the two mine sites for emergency stabilization stemmed from the Forest Service’s Burned Area Emergency Response assessment of the Telegraph Fire. The BAER team determined there was a high probability of loss or damage at the Blue Gate Mine and Ellis Vein Mine sites that are adjacent to Pinto Creek. A need for emergency site stabilization and erosion control was identified at both sites, including necessary road maintenance to reach the sites.

“This collaborative effort saved time and money while maximizing resources offered by Pinto Valley,” said Tom Torres, deputy forest supervisor for the Tonto. “The efforts of forest service personnel at the Tonto Supervisor’s Office and Globe Ranger District along with Pinto Valley’s commitment contributed to the overall success of this project. I am very appreciative of their willingness to assist the forest and surrounding communities in this way.”

Pinto Valley also purchased an additional 960 yards of erosion control fabric and 7,000 linear feet of straw wattles and delivered these materials to the Globe Ranger District for future installation at the Ellis Vein site.

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