Overview of the Issue
Oak Flat is a unique and irreplaceable climbing area and Apache ancestral territory only fifty miles east of Phoenix, Arizona. Heavily used by rock climbers, boulderers, campers, hikers, birdwatchers and other outdoor enthusiasts, Oak Flat was recognized sixty years ago as an important recreational area and withdrawn from mining activities by Federal executive order.
In December 2014, a bill to vacate the executive order and to transfer this protected land to a foreign-owned mining conglomerate was signed into law. Unless this action can be reversed, mining activities at Oak Flat will result in the complete destruction of the rock climbing and other wonderful recreational resources that exist there.
Resolution Copper (RCM) intends to employ block caving at Oak Flat. This involves creating a mining infrastructure below the actual ore deposit that will cause the copper deposit itself and all of the ground above it to collapse over time, as the ore is extracted from below. By RCM’s own estimate, the resulting surface crater from this mining operation would be over a mile wide and 1,000 feet deep—consuming Oak Flat and all of its fantastic recreational and cultural resources.
On May 21st, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the budget reconciliation bill—without the public land sell-off provision—after Congressman Ryan Zinke and Speaker Mike Johnson introduced a manager’s amendment to strike the language, following overwhelming public opposition from climbers and public land advocates.
On April 17th, 2025, President Trump ordered the U.S. Forest Service to complete the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which would trigger the transfer of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a foreign mining company, resulting in the largest loss of climbing in the history of America.
The Forest Service announced that it has withdrawn the Environmental Impact Statement for the Resolution Copper Mine, temporarily saving Oak Flat.
Access Fund filed a lawsuit today in Arizona federal district court to prevent the destruction of the sacred site and the largest-ever loss of climbing.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Access Fund’s ongoing fight to save Oak Flat in Arizona from being destroyed by mining. Located only 50 miles from…
Last month, thousands of climbers joined forces with other conservationists and Native American tribes to save Oak Flat (Chi'chil Bildagoteel) outside…
On June 15th, Congressman Raul Grijalva and Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the “Save Oak Flat Act” into the House and Senate respectively. This…