PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
February 26, 2008

QUEEN CREEK COALITION FORMED TO ADDRESS CLIMBING ISSUES
IN QUEEN CREEK CANYON REGION

“Oak Flat and environs, collectively known to local and out-of-state rock climbers as the Queen Creek climbing region, constitute one of the largest and best known climbing resources in Arizona,” says Fred AmRhein, spokesman for the Coalition. “It is less than an hour east of the metropolitan Phoenix area and there are few other climbing areas in Arizona or the Southwest of its size and scope,” he adds.

“We hike, climb, and camp with our families and friends year round with great ease and satisfaction. It’s warm enough in the winter, cool enough in the summer, there are tall adventure climbs, short “sport” climbs, unroped boulder climbs, seasonal streams in wide valleys for our children to play in safely, flat and shady camping, and lots of space. It’s like a climbing “city” complete with paths, roads, a dictionary sized guidebook with literally thousands of climbs, and pretty much all the amenities close at hand. It’s incomparable and nothing would replace it,” he continues.

For the third time in as many years, Resolution Copper Mining (Resolution) has introduced federal legislation, dubbed the “Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act,” that would privatize Oak Flat, a public recreation area where mining has been prohibited under federal law since 1955. Resolution is owned by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, two of the world’s largest multi-national mining companies. Resolution has been exploring a deep deposit of copper ore beneath this area for over four years and is pursuing ownership of Oak Flat to create a new mine.

“The proposed land exchange could result in the loss of much of the vast climbing resources of Queen Creek Canyon and the region,” says Fred. The Coalition was formed primarily to address the future of climbing, hiking, and camping in the area. "Our intention is to be inclusive, to bring the community together, and to actively and fairly pursue solutions that allow coexistence of community, commerce, and conservation,” AmRhein adds. Members include representatives from the Arizona Mountaineering Club, Friends of Queen Creek, the proprietors of several Phoenix-area climbing gyms, climbing guide book authors, local retail outdoor equipment outlet proprietors, and other local citizens with strong ties to the Queen Creek Region.

Contact info@queencreekcoalition.com , or visit our website, www.queencreekcoalition.com for more information.