Welcome to the Sky Islands Social Studies page

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In addition to teaching the state standards in US History, World History and Government, social studies at Sky Islands teaches the relationship between society and the environment, locally, regionally and globally; historically and presently; and individually and collectively, in terms of how individuals and groups interact with and influence government in solving environmental problems.

More to come, such as syllabi, pertinent articles and discussion forums. Email me with questions at socialstudies@skyislands.org.

Will Hodges


Graph depicting the decline in global copper grades, or the percentage of valuable copper minerals within the surrounding ore body. In other words, we must dig more new mines and process even more ore to extract less and less copper (about .1%) while demand grows. This is a grossly unsustainable path.



In 1917, at the behest of the Phelps Dodge Corporation, the Cochise County sheriff deputized a 2000-strong posse to round up about 1300 striking miners demanding better mine safety and pay, marched them from Lowell, AZ, to Bisbee, loaded them onto cattle cars of the El Paso Southern Pacific Railroad and deported them to New Mexico with orders never to return. President Wilson appointed an investigative commission, which found the deportation "wholly illegal and without authority under Federal or State law".