A Message from the Executive Director
Dear AMA Members and Friends, I’ve waited six years to say these words … I can’t wait to see you in Fairbanks this month! Yes, hard as it may be to believe, we last held a spring convention in Fairbanks in 2018, thanks to the complications and restrictions of the pandemic. My friend Dave “Zoom” Szumigala, our Fairbanks chairman, on page 8 of this Journal provides a host of compelling reasons why you really do need to join us in Fairbanks March 25-29. But here are mine: the Golden Heart City is just special! Fairbanks is friendly, unique, and so connected to the mining industry in Alaska. This is also a community-wide event, and our Fairbanks friends and neighbors join us and celebrate with us the contributions of mining in their lives. It’s a great reminder that even with the daily challenges and occasional frustrations, we are blessed to work in an amazing business, with the greatest people on earth, providing priceless resources and benefits to our state and our country. Did you realize we are celebrating the 85th Anniversary of your Alaska Miners Association this year? Our forefathers in Alaska mining, in the turbulent days of 1939, were looking ahead to our future and the need to advocate for our industry in an evolving world. Imagine what they might have theorized about the future we are living. They might have guessed that a World War was coming, but could they have guessed a whole series of future regional conflicts would occur, that took American lives and resources and attention? Maybe they dreamed about Alaska
but in a great way. What a glorious few days we had last month for our second Juneau Mining Forum, History Night, and presentations to the Legislature! Many AMA members and interested state officials joined us to learn about Juneau’s long and vast mining history, more than 150 years in the making, as well as the state of Alaska mining today. We’ve made a couple of trips to our Nation’s capital representing Alaska Miners both on Capitol Hill and with your National Mining Association. As much as we may be frustrated by Federal actions, it is more critical than ever to be present, to advocate for you and our industry. Forty years ago, Sen. Ted Stevens, speaking at the first Meet Alaska presented by the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, said it’s critical to keep educating the D.C. community: “When the federal government becomes better informed about our nation’s mineral needs and the role that Alaska can play in meeting those needs many of the federal problems facing Alaska miners should become more manageable…Working together we can make sure federal policy makers know the true story about the importance of Alaska’s mineral resources….” Speaking of the Alliance, please make plans to attend the 40th anniversary of Meet Alaska on March 22 in Anchorage. Rebecca Logan and her Alliance team are great partners with us in advocating for you. It’s going to be a super event about Alaska mining as well as oil and gas. We’ll have a lot more stories to share later this month … see you in Fairbanks!
statehood, but did they think about a future Federal government refusing to release its tight grip on Alaska lands or resources? What would they think of 2024?! I can’t imagine they envisioned drones, robotics, social media, or any of the vast changes technology has made in our lives. But they clearly saw one certainty, which led them to establish AMA. They knew that if you don’t tell your own story, somebody else will make one up. They also realized we’d only have the right to mine, and to provide for a self-sufficient Alaska, by fighting for that right. To this day, telling our own story remains our biggest challenge and opportunity. It’s been a whirlwind of a start to 2024, Deantha with AMA President Lorali Simon and Rep. Tom McKay in Juneau for the Juneau Mining Forum.
Deantha Skibinski, Executive Director
Executive Board Lorali Simon, President Blake Bogart, First Vice President Houston Morris, Second Vice President Kim Aasand, Treasurer Follow us anytime: Online at AlaskaMiners.org Like us on Facebook at Alaska Miners Association Follow us on Twitter @alaskaminers Follow us on Instagram @alaska.miners
Branch Chairmen Ted Hawley, Anchorage Ethan Trickey, Denali Dave Larimer, Fairbanks Jan Hill, Haines Jason Hart, Juneau Houston Morris, Kenai Ken Hughes, Nome Robert Fithian, Ketchikan/Prince of Wales
The Alaska Miner is the official journal of the Alaska Miners Association, published eight times a year exclusively to our members. It is published in partnership with the Alaska Miners Association by Fireweed Strategies LLC, 4849 Potter Crest Circle, Anchorage, AK 99516. We actively seek contributions from our members and the mining industry. Please email story ideas and photos to Lee Leschper. Advertising Rates and New Tips For advertising information, or to submit news, story ideas and photos, call or email Lee Leschper at 907-957-6025 or Lee.Leschper@FireweedStrategies.com
Committee Chairmen Kevin Adler, Convention
Alaska Miners Association Staff Deantha Skibinski, Executive Director
Howard Grey and JP Tangen, Federal Oversight Mike Satre and Blake Bogart, State Oversight
Jennifer Luiten, Membership and Fundraising Director Carin Currier, Projects & Communications Manager Darlene Strickland, Bookkeeper/Membership
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I March 2024
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