Freeport McMoran

Freeport's Man in the Maze Remediation Wins Arizona Environmental Award

December 31, 1969

Freeport’s remediation project that transformed a historic milling operation into an 87-acre park with walking trails and educational features recently was recognized as one of Arizona’s most innovative environmental initiatives at Arizona Forward’s 43rd Annual Environmental Excellence Awards.

The Man in the Maze Trail Park in Sahuarita, previously known as Parcel 30, was selected as the winner in the Site Development category.

The park was built on the former Eagle Pitcher Mill site, which was a lead-zinc milling facility operated by a Freeport predecessor from World War I until it closed in 1959. Freeport and Anaconda Arizona Inc. – the other owner of the property – embarked on a voluntary remediation project in 2018 with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

The primary goals were to create safe usable space for recreation and outdoor education opportunities for the public and nearby schools. After the plan was approved in 2022, the company spent the next year consolidating tailings material, implementing an engineered cap and cover system, and establishing a deed restriction to designate the space for recreational use. In 2023, remediation work was completed, and the land was donated to the Town of Sahuarita as a park and opened for public use.  

“The project demonstrates a path of conducting activities in a manner that supports protection of ecosystems and communities with a focus on climate, water, biodiversity, air, mine closure and reclamation,” said Michael Steward, Manager-Remediation Projects, who accepted the award on behalf of the company. “The process and outcome are well-aligned with Freeport’s vision of responsible, sustainable and safe mining.”

The Man in the Maze name was selected by the local community and is culturally significant to the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona, representing the journey of life that impacts all people through various experiences.

Recreational and educational elements of the park include nearly 2 miles of trails with benches and interpretative signage; vegetation beneficial to bats and pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds; and a half-acre planted with vegetation considered culturally significant to the Tohono O’odham people.

Arizona Forward, a nonprofit established in 1969, describes its annual awards as the state’s premier sustainability event celebrating the individuals, businesses and organizations making a lasting impact on Arizona’s environment and economy.

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