Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
The Cibola Public Health Office in Grants and the McKinley Public Health Office in Gallup are
branches of the New Mexico Department of Health. These offices facilitate health programs,
health promotion and prevention, American Indian Health, development disabilities support,
LGBT initiatives, and emergency preparedness (NMDH, 2012).
Places of Worship
Approximately 63 and 40 percent of the population is affiliated with an institutionalized religion
in Cibola and McKinley Counties, respectively (Admaveg, Inc., 2012). There are nine
institutional places of worship located within 20 miles of the proposed mine site, including the
Bible Baptist Church, First United Methodist Church, Saint Theresa’s Avila Church, and Grants
Mission in Grants; Santa Maria de Acoma in McCartys; Indian Assembly of God in Prewitt; San
Rafael Parish in San Rafael; and San Mateo Church in San Mateo. The proposed action is not
expected to cause traffic and produce time delays, therefore, impacts to religious activities at the
nine aforementioned places of worship are expected to be minimal.
Tribal environmental justice communities—Acoma, Laguna, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo—have an
intimate spiritual relationship with the landscape and specifically with Mt. Taylor (which includes
the mine area), a TCP. A TCP is typically a location—frequently a land formation or landscape—
recognized for its association with the cultural practices or beliefs of a living community that are
rooted in history and are important to maintaining cultural identity. Traditional practitioners may
conduct cultural and religious activities at the Mt. Taylor TCP as discussed below. Over time
these have included, but are not limited to, collection of plants, stones, minerals, pigments, soil,
sand, and feathers, catching eagles, hunting game and birds, pilgrimages to place offerings, and
visits to shrines and springs (Benedict and Hudson, 2008).
The term “heritage resources,” used by the Forest Service, encompasses not only cultural
resources but also traditional and historic use areas by all groups (Native Americans, Euro-
Americans, etc.). Objects, buildings, places, and their uses become recognized as “heritage”
through conscious decisions and unspoken values of particular people, for reasons that are
strongly shaped by social contexts and processes. Heritage resources define the characteristics of
a social group (i.e., community, families, ethnic group, disciplines, or professional groups). Places
and objects are transformed into “heritage” through values that give them significance.
The proposed action would potentially entail adverse impacts to the quality of life for
environmental justice communities in the study area, as discussed in greater detail under the
“Cultural and Historic Resources” section. All of the aforementioned tribal nations have
expressed strong concerns about mining activity within the Mt. Taylor TCP. For some tribal
members, mining is tantamount to desecrating a sacred site. Tribes also express particular concern
about water—both the potential for its contamination and/or waste. Negative mental health
impacts stemming from other realities or perceptions associated with the mine could also occur,
discussed further under “Human Health and Safety.” Tribal environmental justice communities,
as established earlier, are found to represent a high percentage of the total affected population,
and the potential for these communities to experience adverse effects to general health and wellbeing
exists. As such, adverse mental health impacts would occur to tribal environmental justice
communities due to mine development so close to spiritually significant Mt. Taylor.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 275