The County of Santa Clara released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Sargent Ranch Quarry, an open-pit sand and gravel mine that would destroy the landscape of Juristac—a critical wildlife linkage and the most sacred site of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Keep reading to find out how you can help protect Juristac!
Sargent Ranch in Juristac, an environmentally and culturally important place, is being threatened by an open-pit sand and gravel mine. The Sargent Ranch Quarry would operate for 30 years, pumping 80,000 gallons of groundwater per day and generating hundreds of daily truck trips along Highway 101 to transport the sand and gravel.
Juristac is the most sacred site of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, who has held ceremonies there for thousands of years.
Due to its location at the southern tip of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Juristac is also the only wildlife linkage connecting the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Gabilan Range, and is one of only two linkages to the Diablo Range, making it the gateway for animals to migrate in and out of these mountains.
The proposed open-pit mine would lie directly across this movement corridor. The noise and disturbance from the mine’s heavy vehicle operations, rock crushing and sorting, and other industrial activity would have a serious impact on animals’ ability to safely migrate.
Join representatives from the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger for a workshop focused on writing effective DEIR comment letters to challenge the Sargent Quarry project. After the presentations and Q&A, there will be workshop time at the end for breakout groups where individuals can share ideas, ask more detailed questions, and work on their personal comment letter drafts.
For more information and resources regarding Juristac and the EIR comment period, visit https://protectjuristac.org