The Lone Pine Canyon Quarry mining project continues to stir up concern among those living in the Wrightwood area of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Residents shared their thoughts about the project with San Bernardino County officials during a Wrightwood Fire Safe Council meeting on Tuesday. April 21.
Concerns
State officials said the proposed quarry project includes the resumption of surface mining operations of ultra-high purity calcium carbonate at the 285-acre project site near Lone Pine Canyon and Swarthout Canyon roads.
The project site sits on a portion of a 420-acre property about 4 miles southeast of Wrightwood.
As San Bernardino County officials process a mitigated negative declaration approving the project, with a CEQA public comment deadline of Wednesday, April 22, residents are concerned that mining operations may cause the following:
To bring awareness and to possibly halt the project, the online “Stop the Lone Pine Canyon Quarry” petition was created at change.org.
As of Tuesday, over 1,300 residents had signed the petition.
Wrightwood Fire Safe Council
The Wrightwood Fire Safe Council met Tuesday for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting to conduct business.
Before the meeting, the council took to social media to share their appreciation for “community concern” relating to the Lone Pine Canyon Quarry mining project.
Upon learning about the project less than one week ago, the council did reach out to San Bernardino County Land Use Services, asking if they could send a representative to Tuesday’s meeting.
At the standing room only meeting, a team of county officials provided a nearly 30-minute overview of the quarry project and to hear “voices and concerns.”
County officials said the project will be reviewed by the planning commission in the coming months.
The deadline is May 8 for comments about the quarry Comments can be emailed to derek.newland@lus.sbcounty.gov.
Wrightwood resident voices concerns
After the meeting, Emily Jacobson of Wrightwood spoke to the Daily Press about the quarry project. She called the project “a major community concern.”
“Many of us residents only found out about this mining project days ago,” Jacobson said. “Conveniently, the project applicants had a ‘scheduling conflict’ and couldn’t show up to answer our questions.”
Jacobson said the project “raises serious concerns about wildfire danger, impacts to a critical evacuation route, air quality, and irreversible damage to wildlife habitat.”
She claimed the project would “fundamentally change the character and landscape of this community indefinitely.”
She added that if the project is approved, they have the right to mine for 148 years, something that would affect many generations.
“At a minimum, residents deserve transparency, full environmental review, and a meaningful opportunity for public input before any decisions are made,” Jacobson said. “The fact that elected officials pushed this project through without alerting the community is terrifying, as we are the ones who will suffer.”
Quarry history
The Lone Pine Canyon Road Quarry, formerly known as the El Cajon Property, includes claims originally acquired by Cajon Lime Products in the 1920s and patented in 1926, according to the county.
Mining operations began in 1924 with the production of plaster, stucco, lime and hydrated lime and a 125-ton-per-day lime processing facility was constructed in 1927.
The property was acquired by Michael P. Hannin in 1931 and remained under family ownership or management until 2023.
Calcium carbonate and dolomite
Extensive geological investigations conducted over the years have confirmed the presence of ultra-high purity calcium carbonate, typically exceeding 99%, as well as dolomite.
Historical assessments estimated up to 268 million tons of ultra-high purity calcium carbonate on the property with proven commercial quality.
Mining and processing occurred intermittently through the 1960s, with continued management by the Hannin family.
Mining rights
The property was transferred to El Cajon Associates, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company wholly owned by descendants of Michael P. Hannin.
On March 7, 2019, the San Bernardino County Planning Commission officially recognized and confirmed vested mining rights for the El Cajon Property at a public hearing.
“This recognition acknowledges the site’s historical mining use as a legal nonconforming land use that runs with the land,” county officials stated. “The confirmation includes the right to produce materials as necessary to meet market demand and utilize customary equipment and methods to mine, process, and transport ultra-high purity limestone and dolomite products.”
The vested right also allows surface mining operations across the entire property, subject to an approved reclamation plan and financial assurances as required under the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975.
Ownership of the property was later transferred to Grand Lone Pine Canyon Enterprises, LLC., on August 1, 2023, which now holds the rights and responsibilities associated with the vested mining interest.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Wrightwood residents push back against quarry mining project
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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