(Photo by Carrie Jung - KJZZ)

Many in the San Carlos Apache Tribe say the Oak Flat area holds religious significance.

(Photo by Carrie Jung - KJZZ)

"We all have concerns but we feel that regardless, somebody’s going to mine. There’s copper there," say Superior residents Bill and Nancy Vogler and Hank Gutierrez.

(photo by Carrie Jung - KJZZ)

Officials with Resolution Copper say the nearby mine could generate about $60 billion in economic activity over 60 years.

(photo by Carrie Jung - KJZZ)

Several dozen people are "occupying" the Oak Flat Campground in protest of the land exchange.

In late 2014 a federal land exchange cleared the way for Resolution Copper to open a mine in southeastern Arizona, over what many say is one of the world’s largest copper deposits.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva introduced legislation aimed at repealing that deal. It’s the latest effort by exchange opponents who say some of the impacted land holds religious significance to a local Native American tribe.

Many San Carlos Apache tribal members say the Oak Flat Campground is a holy place. People go to this rocky, cliff-lined valley to pray for the sick and hold coming-of-age ceremonies. Tribal Chairman Terry Rambler compares it to a church.

"And ours is not a more formal structure where we go pray, but we pray within the environment," said Rambler. "Our connection is to our creator god with what he provided to us."

Today several dozen people are “occupying” this land, sleeping in tents and holding occasional rallies. They’re protesting a recent land exchange that transfers more than 2,400 acres of U.S. Forest Service land to a company known as Resolution Copper.

Vansler Standing Fox has been living here for several months. He got here last February when the protest movement kicked off with a 40-mile march from the reservation to the campground.

"I’ve been a part of this since the bill first was introduced about 10 years ago," said Standing Fox. "I’ve been fighting this issue for a while now."

Since 2005 U.S. Sen. John McCain and former Sen. John Kyl have unsuccessfully attempted to pass the deal through stand-alone legislation. Last year though, the exchange made it through Congress when it was added to the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.

Standing Fox said if the copper mine is built, it would limit his ability to practice his religious traditions.

"This is home to us. We’ve got to protect our home," he said.

Retired Forest Service archaeologist Scott Wood said the Oak Flat area contains significant evidence of Apache history. He's concerned the method the company has chosen to mine the copper, known as block cave mining, would cause the land above to cave in on itself. The resulting crater would span two miles across and up to 1,000 feet deep. He said there are some environmental concerns, but when it comes to Apache archaeology, "The ultimate impact is that those sites will be gone, literally gone."

Officials with Resolution Copper admit subsidence is a reality with this project, but they say the block cave method is the best approach right now. Not everyone is opposed to the mine.

"We all have concerns but we feel that regardless, somebody’s going to mine. There’s copper there," said Bill Vogler, a resident of the nearby mining town of Superior and head of the Superior Copper Alliance. He said it’s hard to ignore the potential economic activity the mine could bring to town.

"If you could sustain the life of the town and everything was copasetic, and we didn’t need the copper, that would be all fine and dandy," said Vogler. "But it’s going to happen."

Resolution Copper projects the mine will generate about $60 billion of economic activity over 60 years and create about 1,400 mining jobs.

Company tribal liaison Tara Kitcheyan said that economic activity would also benefit members of the San Carlos Apache tribe, which has an unemployment rate of more than 70 percent.

"I have frequent conversations with tribal members of San Carlos and they’re tired of surviving. They want to begin to live," she said.

Kitcheyan is a member of the San Carlos Apache tribe and lives on the reservation. Economics aside, Kitcheyan says while people do go to Oak Flat to pray, she contends it doesn’t fit the definition of “sacred” that she’s been taught.

"In our teachings we are taught that a sacred place has a song and a name and a prayer to identify it within our Apache culture. And Oak Flat does not have that," she said. "Oak Flat does not have a song, it does not have a prayer, it does not have a story to it."

Kitcheyan said her colleagues have reached out to tribal officials to talk, but to no avail.  Tribal officials say they don’t plan on meeting, saying they’re a government, “not a contractor to be contracted with."

As far as the “Save Oak Flat Act” goes, it’s too early to tell how much support it has in Congress. Right now though, Resolution Copper is moving forward. Officials hope to begin mining in 2026.

Updated 6/18/2015 at 9:36 a.m.