Governor Brewer to announce special plans for Mining & Mineral Museum

Governor Jan Brewer will be at the Mines and Mineral Museum in Phoenix [right] at 9 am this Friday to announce a special project she is championing to celebrate Arizona's 2012 Centennial.

There has been a lot of speculation about separating the Museum from its parent agency, the Arizona Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources.  A legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Mining Regulations has been considering a number of options, including moving the museum to the Arizona Historical Society.

The rent for the museum space consumed over 60% of ADMMR's annual budget before the set of budget cuts, leaving the agency battling for operating funds.

Wenden flood photos & video

Heavy storms that swept across Arizona resulted in Centennial Wash flooding the small town of Wenden Arizona, for the second '100-year flood' in the past 10 years.  Arizona Outback Online has posted reports, photos, and links.   The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) has its own photo series.


 

Abstract art envisions Geologic Time

 An exhibition of abstract artwork 'celebrating geological processes of the Earth' opened this weekend at the Conrad Wilde Gallery in Tucson.    The gallery says "The featured artists of Geologic Time use experimental techniques to create topographical images suggesting geologic formations and processes occurring over eons."

I heard about this from local geologist Ann Pattison, whose cousin, Emily Silver, is one of four featured artists.  Interestingly enough, Emily Emily is the daughter of Halka Chronic, author of many of the roadside geology books and John Chronic, former professor of geology at CU in Boulder.

The show runs  through Saturday, February 27th 2010  at 439 N. 6th Ave #171 Tucson, AZ 85705 at the historic Firestone building in the heart of Tucson’s downtown arts district.    [left, 459Flood, by Emily Silver. Right, How Mountains are Formed, by Laura Moriarty]

Centennial Wash flood prone areas may be explained by subsidence

 Brian Conway at AZ Dept. of Water Resources shared this InSAR image of the McMullen Valley in western Arizona.   The brighter colors show larger amounts of subsidence. Brian pointed out the Wenden area at the west end of Hwy 60.  He noted that "there is definitely a bowl at that location which most likely explain why Centennial Wash is more prone to flood that area during heavy flows."     I'll be posting later about last month's flood in Wenden.


ADWR describes McMullen Valley groundwater basin as approximately 48 miles long and 15 miles wide and bounded by the Harcuvar Mountains to the north, the Harquahala Mountains to the south and the Little Harquahala and Granite Wash Mountains to the west.

Forum on economic impacts of Rosemont copper mine

Rosemont Copper is hosting a forum on the economic impacts of the proposed mine on Feb. 16, with sponsorship by the Tucson Hispanic and Green Valley Chambers of Commerce, and by the mining industry group AMIGOS.

The announcement says,

Speakers will be economists Elliott Pollack and Dr. Lee McPheters, and a question and answer session will follow.

Pollack, CEO of Elliott D. Pollack and Company in Scottsdale, former chief economist for Valley National Bank in the 1970s and '80s, and a longtime member of the Joint Legislature Finance Advisory Committee, will discuss the general economic situation in the state of Arizona.

Dr. McPheters, Research Professor of Economics at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and Director of its JP Morgan Chase Economic Outlook Center, will address a report recently released by the Arizona Department of Mines & Mineral Resources on the economic impacts the Rosemont project will have on southern Arizona. The study, conducted by the L. William Seidman Research Institute at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business, looked at economic impacts in Cochise, Pima and Santa Cruz Counties as a single region, and assessed the effects on the State of Arizona as a whole as well as on the United States.

There is no charge for the forum to be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the Viscount Suite Hotel, 4855 East Broadway. Email rsvp-forum@cox.net to attend.

Update (2-9-10:   the report referenced above is SR-26, not SR-24 as I originally identified it

Ref:  SR 26 - An Assessment of the Economic Impacts of the Rosemont Copper Project on the Economies of the Cochise/Pima/Santa Cruz Counties Study Area, Arizona, and the United States by M.M. Singh, 2009. Prepared by the L. William Seidman Research Institute, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. 58 p.

Bisbee exhibit at UA Mineral Museum

A special exhibit, “Treasures of the Queen: The Amazing Minerals and Mystery of Bisbee, Arizona,” will run through May 31 at the UA Mineral Museum in Tucson.


According to the Sierra Vista Herald, the exhibit will include "extraordinary minerals from the 1893 Chicago World Fair, minerals from private collections that have never been on public display and other artifacts and period clothing that will trace Bisbee’s rich history and pivotal role in Arizona’s journey to
statehood."   [photo credit, UA Mineral Museum]

Mata Ortiz pottery demo at AZGS Map Store

We're doing something new and different at the AZGS store in Tucson this week.   Well-known potter Oralia Lopez from the Mata Ortiz village in Mexico, will be demonstrating her techniques of painting and finishing her distinctive pottery on Thursday, Feb. 11.

We've gotten to know Oralia through John Bezy, who has authored many of our Down to Earth publications.  John's been helping Oralia market her family's pots across the region, including a modest distribution through our store.

We invite you to stop in and see how these amazing pieces of art are created.   My wife and I have two beautiful pots at home made by Oralia's family.