Time is almost up for those who wish to voice concern about the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine, with the public comment period ending on Monday, July 14. Some people who live close to where the proposed mine would be built feel that their concerns have been ignored.

A group of people who live in the Vail area near the proposed site of the Rosemont Mine say they would be the ones most directly affected if the mine is built. They say there is a lot of natural beauty in this part of the state, and their goal is to save the Santa Rita Mountains and prevent the area from becoming an open pit copper mine. However, so far they say their voices haven’t been heard.

“Help us,” says concerned citizen Bonnie Isenberg. “We’ve been crying for help for the last two weeks, writing letters to everyone.”

The Forest Service has held several public hearings regarding the proposed mine. “The meetings have been concluded,” says Coronado National Forest spokesperson Heidi Schewel. “The public knows this, it’s been well publicized.”

The only problem is, none of the “open mic” hearings took place directly in the affected area. “We feel that our voice is not being heard at all, so we are attempting to make it heard,” says Isenberg.

The Forest Service has provided several opportunities for people to give feedback on the mine. “From oral testimony, from writing it and dropping it in a comment box, mailing it in, faxing it in, we have an email system, we have an 800 toll-free number,” says Schewel.

But the concerned citizens who live near Vail say those options don’t quite do the job. “It’s simply you with a phone,” says Isenberg. “It’s a nice concept, but it doesn’t make the same statement.”

The Forest Service says all comments, regardless of how they are made, will receive equal weight.

More information on how to make a public comment is available by clicking here