Gleanings from Our History – Part 1

In 1990, the Portal Mining Action Coalition undertook the battle to prevent the transformation of Portal and surrounding areas into a gold-mining operation. The outcome of that battle? Through legislation spearheaded by Congressman Jim Kolbe, our Arizona Congressional delegation supported and then passed in both Houses the 1993 Cave Creek Protection Act to protect this immediate area from any future mining entry. You can read the details here. 

That very effective coalition soon morphed into the Chiricahua Regional Council.

From our inception, CRC has monitored local issues––many involving the US Forest Service––through a long succession of Forest Supervisors, District Rangers, and Forest biologists. The Forest Service, like most agencies, has a high turnover of personnel, and that turnover destroys institutional memory. CRC has been a steady presence for 30 years. We have remembered, when agency employees could not. We have encouraged positive changes that further protect the region’s natural treasures––and when threats have arisen, we’ve drawn on our deep-rooted experience and our passionately active membership to formulate and carry through the necessary responses.