Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Archaeological resources also have significant cultural value to the tribes. Archaeological sites
provide a tangible connection to history and place, commemorate the lives of the ancestors, and
impart specific information about tribal histories and culture, all of which help to shape and
inform tribal identity. Archaeological sites are viewed as key to the retention and transmission of
traditional culture and history. Each archaeological site is believed to contain records of events,
instructions from ancestors, and reminders from ancestors to current generations and, therefore,
has a teaching purpose. Archaeological sites not only document and provide evidence of tribal
histories, they are considered to be sacred for a number of reasons. Sacredness of the sites is
rooted in the oral traditions and religious knowledge of the tribes, and these sites provide a place
to communicate with the ancestors. From this perspective, destruction of even one site is
considered sacrilege, as that site is not replaceable or interchangeable with any other site; it is
unique and plays a distinctive role in the tribes’ beliefs. Thus when considering the cultural values
of archaeological sites, the cumulative effect of the Roca Honda Mine project would be
significant.
The involved tribes consulted for this EIS have demonstrated the traditional cultural and religious
significance of the cultural resources in the APEs for the Roca Honda Mine project and that the
proposed project would significantly impact cultural resources due to the anticipated physical
damages and changes to setting of individual cultural resources, important natural resources, and
the Mt. Taylor TCP. The addition of another mine to past projects would further impair the
relationship of the tribes with the mountain and its landscape, further impacting the beliefs and
practices associated with the mountain and its place within the traditions of the tribes. Either of
the action alternatives would further disrupt American Indian cultural and religious activities on
Mt. Taylor and impact the integrity of the mountain. The “cumulative burden” is on the tribes
who have and would continue to suffer from the lasting cultural and environmental consequences
of mineral extraction in this area. The proposed project would contribute to the furtherance of the
degradation of the resources and the tribes’ relationship with those resources and Mt. Taylor and
its landscape, and would result in a significant cumulative effect.
The “Water Resources” section states that cumulative effects on springs from groundwater
pumping associated with reasonably foreseeable actions would be adverse and potentially
significant, though the incremental contribution of pumping from the Roca Honda Mine to these
cumulative effects would be small. However, this cumulative effect to springs would be
significant with regard to the ongoing traditional cultural and religious beliefs and practices of the
tribes.
Both alternative 2 (proposed action) and alternative 3 (one shaft alternative) would result in
significant impacts to cultural resources. The other past, current, and future projects are also
anticipated to result in significant impacts. When the impacts of the proposed project (either
action alternative) are considered in combination with those of the past, current, and future
cumulative projects, the impacts would be additive to Mt. Taylor, the associated natural and
cultural resources in the landscape, and associated traditional cultural practices, and would
exacerbate the loss of integrity and use of these resources. The overall cumulative effect of the
proposed project would be adverse and significant.
360 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest