AND RELATED POLITICAL ISSUES

Original 22 April 1992
Last revised 8 May 1997

The Vatican Observatory (Specola Vaticana) has constructed the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) on Mt. Graham in Graham County, Arizona, USA, as part of the Mt. Graham International Observatory (MGIO). A campaign of protest continues to be conducted by some persons and institutions who claim that the MGIO is a threat to the ecology of the area and/or that environmental laws of the United States have been violated. The following is the current position of the Vatican Observatory. (A separate statement has been prepared by the Vatican Observatory on: The Mount Graham International Observatory and American Indian Peoples.)

Description of the Natural Environment

The Pinaleño Mountains lie within the Coronado National Forest which comprises 201,300 acres. The mountain range contains some of the highest elevations in Arizona and the highest south of the Mogollon rim. There are four peaks which exceed 10,400 feet, the highest being Mt. Graham (also known as High Peak) at 10,720 feet. The name Mt. Graham is also used in general to refer to this whole range. It is in that sense, unless otherwise clearly specified, that we use it in this Statement. It is a precious, isolated, ecological zone, containing flora and fauna typical of both the northern Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre. Unique plants and animals, which have evolved since the last glaciation of about 11,000 years ago are encountered here. These include the largest and healthiest bear population in the State and other rare animals such as the Mt. Graham red squirrel. The ecology of Mt. Graham is extraordinary, since it combines life zones typical of northern Mexico with those of southern Alaska.

There has, however, been much change to Mt. Graham in the last century. Perhaps the greatest change to the natural environment of Mt. Graham was the construction of a 30 mile long highway in the 1930's. This highway has provided and continues to provide public access to all peoples without discrimination for the many activities that are permitted on Mt. Graham. In the past these have included lumbering, hunting, communication antennas, recreational areas, etc. In addition to the road, a number of campgrounds, and a bible camp, there are two villages of summer cottages with 94 cottages in all, some of them already historic monuments. Two artificial lakes have been created. On one summit there is a communications site with antennas and high towers. US Forest Service records show that about one-quarter of the available timber on the mountain's higher elevations has been logged, totaling about 68,000,000 board feet or 6,000 acres of timber.

Despite these drastic changes to the natural environment of Mt. Graham, there exists at its highest elevations a precious micro-ecosystem which contains unique plants and animals. According to the US Forest Service there are approximately 4,000 acres of spruce fir forest, of which about 3,300 acres are either mature forest or old growth. The red squirrel, which was placed on the Endangered Species list in 1987, lives on Mt. Graham. For the most part the squirrels live at elevations of about 9,000 feet, below the spruce fir; but a large concentration has also been found at an elevation just above 8,000 feet. In fact, the biological evidence to date suggests that the greatest variability of habitat quality for the squirrel occurs at the highest elevations in the spruce fir, and that the reservoir that permits the squirrel to remain on the mountain in difficult times is the lower mixed-conifer forest. It is estimated that there are more than 11,000 acres of squirrel habitat on the mountain.

Description of MGIO

Two telescopes have been constructed on Emerald Peak at an elevation of 10,471 feet (the fourth highest peak) and the construction of a third telescope is about to begin. These are located on 8.6 acres surrounded by the 62,000 acre area designated by Congress as the Mt. Graham Wilderness Study Area, a part of the 200,000 acre Coronado National Forest. The telescopes already constructed are: the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT, a joint enterprise of the Vatican Observatory and the University of Arizona), the Sub-millimeter-Wave Telescope (SMT, a joint enterprise of the Max Planck Institute of Bonn, Germany and the University of Arizona). Construction is about to begin on the Large Binocular Telescope (currently a joint enterprise of the Italian National Astronomy Program, the University of Arizona and the Research Corporation of Arizona). An evaluation of the environmental impact of these first three telescopes is being continuously conducted. If the evaluation is favorable, four more telescopes may be built and this will extend the total area of the MGIO to a maximum extent of 24 acres, confined within a 150 acre area set aside for scientific studies.

Administration of the Area

The area is under the administration of the Coronado National Forest of the US Forest Service (USFS). Since the 1970's, the USFS has handled all issues concerning Mt. Graham in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), by carrying out investigations of areas suspected to contain archaeological material, or those of biological interest etc., with public hearings and opportunities for public comment, which are all documented in substantial, publicly available reports.

Starting in 1980, the area was investigated for the likelihood of it being a site of major importance for astronomical telescopes. In 1981 there was discussion of the observatory with civic leaders from the communities at the foot of the mountain and with congressional representatives. The possibility of an observatory was discussed in the press, both in the Gila Valley where Mt. Graham is located and in Tucson where the Vatican Observatory Research Institute (VORG) has its headquarters.

These factors, namely, that the area, although it had served many uses over the years, was still both ecologically precious and a possible prime site for astronomy, led the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the US House of Representatives to designate this area in 1984 as the Mount Graham Wilderness Study Area so that its management might be "directed toward protection of its extraordinary wildlife and plant life and towards maintaining this area in a more pristine condition than what is normally found in national forest recreation areas. . . . It is the Committee's intent that the area be managed so as to protect its wilderness qualities and also to allow all reasonable scientific activities necessary to ensure that planning and study on proposed observatory sites and associated facilities continue unimpeded" (Sec. 102 of H.R. 4707, emphasized text by me).

In 1985, as part of a plan for the development of the entire Coronado National Forest, a plan for an observatory was unveiled in a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by the USFS. This was followed by public hearings. Due to intense public interest and letter writing about the MGIO the USFS announced in the Final Impact Statement for the Coronado National Forest Plan, issued in 1986, that there would be a separate EIS for the observatory. The draft EIS on the Observatory was issued in late 1986 and this was followed by public hearings concerning the environment. The Mt. Graham red squirrel was listed as an endangered species which began a new process of verifying that the conditions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) were fulfilled. This process resulted in additional public hearings and comments. In 1988 the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the federal agency responsible for the implementation of the ESA, issued a Biological Opinion containing a "Reasonable and Prudent Alternative Three" which allowed the MGIO to be built on Emerald Peak. After this the US Congress passed the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act (AICA), and the USFS issued its final EIS for MGIO.

Title VI of the AICA came about in the following way. In 1988 representatives of MGIO, the USFS, and the USFWS agreed on all terms and conditions for building MGIO according to the USFWS Biological Opinion (specifically according to "Reasonable and Prudent Alternative Three" of that Opinion). The US Congressional Delegation from Arizona, which had asked to be kept informed of negotiations with federal agencies concerning MGIO, was advised that, although an agreement had been reached, there was likely to be a further delay of some years for administrative efforts to prepare for all possible judicial proceedings which MGIO opponents were likely to initiate. The Delegation, judging that such delays in a process which had already been underway since 1984 would jeopardize the project, then incorporated the agreement already reached into the AICA, which Congress passed and President Reagan signed into law in late 1988.

According to the dictates of Title VI of the AICA the USFS issued a special use permit in 1989 for the construction of the first three telescopes, an access road, and support buildings for the MGIO. Construction began on the access road and the first two telescopes, including the VATT. Opponents to the MGIO filed suits in federal courts. After various temporary injunctions issued by the District and Ninth Circuit Courts were all finally dismissed, construction continued on the basis of the Ninth Circuit Court decision which dismissed all charges of the opponents and passed the judgement that no further consultation was necessary for the construction of the first three telescopes of the MGIO, including the access road and support facilities. A group called "The Apache Survival Coalition" filed a suit against the USFS on 19 August 1991 in the US District Court in Phoenix, Arizona to stop the MGIO claiming that Mt. Graham was sacred and they also filed in the same court on 10 February 1992 a Motion for a Partial Summary Judgement in which they request the court to decide that Title VI of the AICA is unconstitutional. Both the suit and the Motion were defeated in the courts. On 10 April 1992 the US District Court in Phoenix, Arizona denied a request of the Apache Survival Coalition for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against construction of the MGIO. An appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court was denied on 21 April. Subsequently, the first two telescopes were constructed on Mt. Graham. These are the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and the Sub-Millimeter Wave Telescope of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. Ground was cleared in late 1993 for the third telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). Upon request by the U.S. Forest Service the original site for the LBT was moved to a site which was less sensitive ecologically. The Mount Graham Coalition requested an injunction against further clearing at this new site and the injunction was granted by the District and upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court. The Tribal Council of the San Carlos Apaches has not become a party to these court cases. In April 1996 legislation was passed in the U.S. Congress to reaffirm the wishes of Congress expressed in the Arizona-Idaho Act that the first three telescopes, including the LBT, be constructed without further delay. This is allowing the completion of the first phase of the MGIO, the operation of the first three telescopes on Mt. Graham.

Position of the Vatican Observatory

The Vatican Observatory has made its decision to participate in the MGIO based upon a thorough and independent examination of the facts concerning the ecology of Mt. Graham and the political and legal issues involved in the granting of a permit for the MGIO by the USFS. These have been summarized in the previous paragraphs.

Mt. Graham is the best site in the continental US for the construction of MGIO and specifically for the construction of the VATT. Other sites are either inferior from astronomical and/or logistical considerations or they are more sensitive ecologically. This judgement is based upon the examination of data for 280 sites in the continental United States.

The MGIO is perfectly compatible with the other legitimate uses of the mountain and with all ecological considerations that have come to light. A protective program of biological investigation and surveillance was begun in 1989 as part of the conditions by which the permit was granted for the MGIO. This will assure that all ecological considerations will be met. This assurance has been verified during all phases of the construction and operation of the telescopes. Among those conditions are requirements for reforestation and for monitoring of the red squirrel population. Through the fulfillment of those conditions, to which the MGIO is committed, it is already clear that the natural environment is better off than it would have been without the MGIO. Many more acres of forest are being restored than the MGIO will occupy. These reforestation efforts will not bear fruit immediately but they have begun and 60 acres have already been restored through the efforts of MGIO and the USFS. On the construction site itself 800 conifers have been transplanted into the adjoining forest with a survival rate greater than 96 per cent. The official census by the USFS of the red squirrel shows that the population has more than doubled between 1989 and the present. Construction of the observatory began in 1989. The search for squirrel middens in the lowest parts of the mixed-conifer forest is far from complete. However, the distribution of middens known to date, together with the historical record of squirrel sightings, suggests that a primary habitat of the red squirrel (to distinguish it from the critical habitat designated by the USFWS in accordance with ESA) is not at or even near to the observatory site; it is at least 1,000 feet below it. Furthermore, scientific studies of significant biological interest in this isolated example of mixed conifer forest will be promoted by the MGIO and by the conditions required by federal law for its existence. These newly protected parts of the Pinaleño Mountains will provide a magnificent natural laboratory for the study of a recovering ecological system.

The congressional legislation which has enabled the construction of the first three telescopes of the MGIO is sound and in perfect keeping with all the tenets of the democratic process and of participatory government in the United States. The AICA did not violate previous legislation. With respect to the construction of the first three telescopes, including access road and support facilities, it deemed that what had been intended by previous legislation had been fulfilled and it granted legislative relief from further bureaucratic delays, which it deemed contrary to the intent of existing legislation. Specifically the AICA states that " . . . the requirements of section 7 of the Endangered Species Act shall be deemed satisfied as to the issuance of a Special Use Authorization for the first three telescopes . . . [AICA, Title VI Sec. 602 (a)]". A similar statement is made by AICA (see Sec. 607) with respect to the requirements of NEPA. The Vatican Observatory respects and supports the National Historic Protection Act, the National Forest Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Arizona Wilderness Bill, which established the Mt. Graham Wilderness Study Area, and the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act (AICA), which provided for the granting of a permit by the USFS for the construction of the MGIO. To date no challenge stating that those laws have not been obeyed in the case of the MGIO has been upheld by the Federal Courts.

The participation of the Vatican Observatory in the MGIO is completely consonant with all public statements of Pope John Paul II concerning the environment. The Vatican Observatory is profoundly committed to improving and preserving the natural environment of Mt. Graham. Contrary to misinformation, which has been generated irresponsibly by some groups that oppose the MGIO and which has appeared in the press and in numerous letters directed to various Vatican offices, we find no conflict whatsoever between the construction of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and those commitments. This conviction is based not only upon the public statements made by the Holy Father but also upon the principles which govern the United States of America according to which the use of Federal land is determined by specific or general rules set up by the representative government of the United States. We are inspired by the following words of Pope John Paul II:

This new telescope (he refers to the VATT) under construction on Mt. Graham will be the first in a series of instruments which will enable scientists to see ten times further into the universe than ever before. In order to function as efficiently as possible, these telescopes must be located on remote mountain sites, many of which are treasured ecological zones. I know that, as scientists, you cherish and respect nature. Hence, while striving to fathom the ultimate frontiers of the Universe, you have sought to interfere as little as possible in the natural processes of the earth, that small but precious part of the Universe from which you observe. (Address of John Paul II to the Founders of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, 19 June 1989)

It appears that some environmental organizations are trying at whatever cost and by whatever means to stop the construction of telescopes on Mt. Graham. It is difficult to interpret their motives, since they give no semblance of being based upon an honest desire for true conservation of the environment. On the contrary their agenda appears to be completely negative. They are against telescopes, against scientific research, against progress. Their emphasis is not upon preserving but rather upon preventing. Their kind of environmentalism is inevitably doomed to failure. This has been shown by the acts of the United States Congress and by the Federal Courts.

The issues concerning the MGIO will undoubtedly continue to generate much controversy arising from many honest, divergent views concerning the need to preserve the environment and the insatiable curiosity to know where it and human civilization itself came from. We are always open to discussing those honest, divergent views. It is our current conviction that in due time MGIO will contribute both to the conservation of the environment and to the knowledge of its ultimate origins. The Vatican Observatory is totally committed to the MGIO and is proud to have completed the first optical telescope on Mt. Graham and to have obtained in January 1995 the first high-resolution images of selected celestial objects which establish beyond doubt the high quality of Mt. Graham for optical and infrared astronomy.

George V. Coyne, S.J.

Director

Vatican Observatory

Tucson, Arizona