Proposed gold mine pits sacred Indian beliefs against lucrative venture Story-Date: 03:35 a.m. PST Saturday , August 22, 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------ Proposed gold mine pits sacred Indian beliefs against lucrative venture EL CENTRO, Calif. (AP) -- In a triangular region between three Imperial County peaks, 10,000 years of American Indian history lies buried with what could also bring millions of dollars to the state and local economy -- gold. According to some, there's lots of it. A proposed mine has posed a clash between the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Quechan Indians and a potential economic boon to the region. The Imperial Project about 45 miles northeast of El Centro would construct an open-pit mine with a processing facility on property owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Over the next 20 years, the project could process more than 1,500 acres of land yielding 150 million tons of ore and 300 tons of waste rock, according to information in an environmental impact report and statement. It could also bring an estimated $500,000 in annual property taxes, as well as $3.5 million in state sales tax revenues while construction is underway, proponents said. But the Quechan and other environmental groups ask: At what cost? Between three mountains -- Picacho Peak, Black Mountain and Cargo Muchacho -- is a sacred place where Quechans gather for spiritual guidance. Randy Rister, Imperial County property services director, said two historic Indian trading trails, the Mojave and the San Diegito, also would be destroyed. The area is rich with religious symbols, he said, such as the petroglyph "Running Man," religious circles and shards of pottery, obsidian and quartz. Because of the controversy, delays in the approval process already has cost 54 jobs, Steve Bauman, general manager of the mining company Glamis Imperial Corp., told the Imperial Valley Press. Workers from the nearby Picacho mine were to be transferred to the Imperial Project by July 1997, but many were laid off because the new mine was not started at the scheduled time. More than 81 million tons of proven ore and 13 million tons of probable ore are at the site, according to the company's Internet website. The remaining 56 million tons of an estimated 150 million total tons of ore falls into the possible category. Bauman said he expects the site to produce 100,000 ounces of gold a year for 15 years and the current market price for gold is about $300 an ounce. A final environmental impact statement and report are due out in late October from the state and county, responding to criticism raised during a public comment period. In order to go forward with the project, Glamis needs approval from the BLM, the county Board of Supervisors, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and other state and federal agencies, Rister said. The Quechan remain adamantly opposed. In a letter to the BLM, Quechan Tribal President Mike Jackson and Pauline Owl, chairwoman of the tribal cultural committee, explained to the tribe: "Would an open-pit operation be allowed in Jerusalem, where shrines and sacred grounds of Islamic, Judaic and Christian religions are located? Why should Native Americans face institutional razing of their sacred grounds? The Native Americans have lived with broken promises for years," they wrote. However, some said the effort to stop the mine is hypocrisy. "This ground was sacred until they wanted to build a casino," wrote Bill Stewart of nearby Yuma, Ariz. in a letter to the BLM. "They destroyed more wildlife habitat in that small area of Paradise Casino than all of the proposed mine area." Rister maintained that Paradise Casino was built on a flood plain in the Colorado River that is not considered sacred. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended the BLM consider consequences of a mine, saying as proposed, it would be located within sight and sound of two wilderness areas, and in close proximity to an area of critical desert tortoise habitat. Some argue there are already three mines in the area and a fourth could not cause much extra damage. Rister explained, however, that the Picacho Mine has been operated periodically since the 1680s, and the Mesquite and Cargo Muchacho mines were opened in the 1860s. ------------------------------------------------------------