Conservation groups and the San Carlos Apache Tribe are accusing federal regulators of fast-tracking exploratory drilling at a copper site near Mammoth even after cameras reportedly spotted endangered Mexican spotted owls in the area. On April 28, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance and the tribe sent a formal sixty-day notice alleging that the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act. They argue that around-the-clock drilling, bright lights, helicopter surveys and groundwater pumping are already disrupting habitat for the owls and other vulnerable species, including the yellow-billed cuckoo.
Groups deliver formal 60-day notice
The coalition’s sixty-day notice, filed April 28, lays out its legal case against the BLM and the Fish and Wildlife Service for allegedly failing to comply with the Endangered Species Act. The 27-page notice, posted by the Center for Biological Diversity, details five claimed violations, including an alleged failure to consult, and what the groups call inadequate analysis of noise, light and groundwater impacts from the exploration work.
Trail cameras and a blistering charge
“Federal officials were warned that Mexican spotted owls are in the area but pushed this mining project ahead anyway,” said Russ McSpadden, a Southwest advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. According to the groups, trail cameras set by the Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance photographed owls inside or very close to the approved drilling footprint both before and after the BLM signed off on the project. They say that evidence contradicts agency conclusions that the species was “not present.”
Why scientists and locals worry
The Mexican spotted owl has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1993, and the Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery plan cites roughly 1,300 known owl sites in the United States, highlighting how limited and fragmented the remaining populations are (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Biologists warn that industrial lights, drilling noise and low-flying helicopters can interfere with owl hunting and breeding. The groups also caution that groundwater pumping during the exploration phase can harm riparian habitat relied on by the western yellow-billed cuckoo. Reporting by Inside Climate News notes that the approval covers dozens of drill pads and that exploration activities can draw tens of thousands of gallons of groundwater per pad each month.
BLM approval and company background
The Bureau of Land Management signed off on Copper Creek exploration on June 30, 2025, authorizing mineral exploration across about 1,324 acres of public land and approving the modification of 18 acres to expand 67 drill sites, according to the agency’s announcement (BLM). The decision allows notice-level exploration for up to three years and calls for reclamation on many of the disturbed acres. Industry coverage notes that Redhawk/Faraday Copper is advancing the Copper Creek property and has pursued a framework deal with BHP for the nearby San Manuel site, a move that would tie Copper Creek into a larger district and eyes giant Arizona copper hub.
Legal claims and what they allege
The notice asserts that the agencies ran afoul of Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act by not consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service and by determining the project would not harm the yellow-billed cuckoo without what the groups consider an adequate review. It also challenges agency reliance on light-mitigation measures that the organizations say are not actually being carried out, criticizes a lack of analysis on impacts from extensive helicopter surveys, and faults the absence of affirmative conservation programs. Coverage by Inside Climate News details those claims along with internal communications that, according to the groups, accelerated the project timeline.
What happens next
The filing is dated April 28, 2026, which starts a 60-day clock under the Endangered Species Act. If the agencies do not resolve the alleged violations by June 27, 2026, the groups say they intend to take the dispute to federal court, local outlets report (azfamily.com). Any lawsuit would likely seek injunctions that could halt exploration. In the meantime, local organizers say they will continue watching drill sites and pressing regulators to enforce mitigation measures and protect groundwater and riparian habitat.
Why this matters locally
The Lower San Pedro River is considered one of the Southwest’s last free-flowing desert rivers and a crucial wildlife corridor. Conservationists warn that exploration work and any future mining could threaten groundwater, native vegetation and species that depend on dark, quiet riparian zones. With the sixty-day window now open, the fight over Copper Creek is set to unfold in agency offices and the courts, and the outcome will determine whether exploration continues as planned, is scaled back, or is paused while officials revisit their Endangered Species Act obligations (Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance).
