FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
Luke Koenig, New Mexico Wild Gila Grassroots Organizer, luke@nmwild.org, 443-676-3200
Dirk Sigler, Chiricahua Regional Council President, dirkdsigler@gmail.com, 505-204-6689
Diana Casas-Hensley, Dark Sky New Mexico, nmhokie2@gmail.com
Kanzas Massey, Hidalgo County Rancher, masseybunch@hotmail.com, 575-494-2678
SILVER CITY, N.M. (July 8, 2026) – Last week, buried at the bottom of a larger press release, the company Almadex America Inc. (Almadex) announced it was abandoning plans to pursue exploratory mining at Antelope Pass in Hidalgo County. The release stated, “The Company also notes that it has become aware of certain factors concerning the Big Sky project in New Mexico. This early-stage exploration project no longer meets the Company’s criteria for further exploration and investment, and will be abandoned.”
The announcement comes on the heels of widespread opposition by local ranchers, community members, researchers, astronomy-based businesses, and conservation groups. These individuals and groups cited impacts to ranching heritage, rural quality of life, water use, rare and special-status species, habitat connectivity, and the area’s status as a BLM-designated Research Natural Area among their concerns. A letter sent to the BLM this spring, signed by many of these groups, detailed many of these concerns.
Additionally, a petition opposing mining at Antelope Pass garnered more than 1,660 signatures. A series of recent, well-attended community and County Commission meetings drew passionate and near-unanimous opposition.
While the understated release from the company notes “certain factors” leading to their decision to withdraw, the community members and groups who opposed the project feel confident that their activism was a key factor. They applaud Almadex for listening to these concerns and changing course.
Dirk Sigler, president of the Chiricahua Regional Council said, “People cared enough to speak out against this threat to their way of life. The decision by Almadex to abandon its exploration for gold at Antelope Pass is a huge win for the residents of Hidalgo County. For those of us who live here an industrial-scale development like this runs afoul of our vision for a healthy future. Hats off to those who stepped up.”
“This just goes to show that community pushback works. Putting the brakes on a project proposed by a well-funded, multinational gold mining company is a daunting task. But when the community, people from all walks of life, conservation groups, and local businesses band together, this is proof that we can be successful in preventing mining in places where it’s obviously not appropriate,” said Luke Koenig, Gila Grassroots Organizer for New Mexico Wild. Koenig added, “We should feel proud of ourselves in this moment, and use the momentum we’ve built to keep thinking about what long-term protection for this and similarly vulnerable areas might look like.”
Diana Casas-Hensley, managing partner at Dark Sky New Mexico, said “it was especially uplifting to see our local community, including ranchers, farmers, businesses, and conservationists, put aside their differences and come together as a united body to fight back this threat to our way of life. I believe this effort has created a bond between people that will help us the next time this area is similarly threatened.”
“We’re truly pleased with the decision to halt the proposed mining project. It’s wonderful to see our ranching and farming heritage preserved alongside thriving wildlife and natural habitats. By keeping this land untouched, we’re protecting vital rangelands for livestock and crops, clean water sources, and healthy ecosystems that support diverse wildlife. These working landscapes and habitats deliver far more lasting value to our communities and environment than any short-term extraction ever could,” said Kanzas Massey, Hidalgo County Rancher
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