from Minnesota I met the mayor of my town once in 18 years of living there so I thought that was neat. John Shively was the guest speaker, and well as we all know, he hit that presen- tation out of the park. I knew then that I wanted to be a part of AMA. Seeing John speak so passionate- ly and seeing how everyone there wanted to help make a positive outcome was encouraging. What do you love most about this business? I love the importance of the industry. I love how fast paced it can get. I love the people in this in- dustry Where do you see mining in Alaska in 50 years? I hope to see quite a few more mines in operation. I hope to see the majority of people of Alaska learn and conform to the idea that we can develop mines safely and responsibly, That Alaska and the US can lead the way in new technology and sustainability. I hope to see a thriving economy. I would like to see the politics stagnate quite a bit on resource de- velopment. I’m afraid resource development is be- coming a guinea pig for negativity in policy mak- ing when really it shouldn’t matter what side of the line you stand on but to just know in today’s day in age it is necessary, and it can be done responsibly. Getting away from the “not in my back yard” antics and taking on any challenges and innovating ways to succeed, That’s the American way. What do you see as our biggest challenges? And opportunities? I see our biggest challenges are educating people on the correct science behind mining. The biggest opportunity is to keep up the amaz- ing track record the Alaska mining industry has had for a while now, this will be the best way to prove to the people what the modern-day mining industry is really like and will continue to be. ,QHDFKLVVXHRI7KH$ODVND0LQHUZHSURÀOHRQHRIRXU member miners active in the industry and AMA. This month we talk with Nome AMA chairman Blake Bogart. FK LVVXH RI 7KH $ODVND 0LQHU ZH SURÀOH RQH RI RXU ü ď 8±ÏåžƐŇüƐaĞĻĞĻď
Blake Bogart Graphite One Project
BY LEE LESCHPER Blake Bogart helps with logistics and planning, and prepping for exploration projects. He keeps things running smoothly and expediting supplies _Z_SPʭPWO-ZRL]_OZP^bL_P]^LX[WTYR^`]aPdTYR GIS and mineral processing, among other responsi- bilities. He has worked on the Graphite One project since 2013. Bogart, 33, grew up in Minnesota but has lived in Alaska since 2004, and moved to Nome in 2007. He married his wife Kelly in 2013 and they have two daughters Kourtney, 5, and Kyla, 2. His hobbies in- NW`OP ʮd ʭ^STYR SZNVPd LYO ^bTXXTYR bT_S ST^ children. Who was your mentor in this industry and what did they teach you that remains true today? I don’t think I can point out just one mentor in this industry because there have been so many. It is safe to say there are a lot of great people in this industry and that has impacted my life. I have to say that I look up to the AMA board, over these past four years of being on the board I have learned so much. I can honestly say that is was extremely in- timidating for me being on the board and being so young, but I have never felt out of place and felt LNNP[_PO]TRS_Zʬ_SPML_?SP]PL]P^ZXP]PLWRPX^ of leaders on that board and I appreciate all of them. What lessons have you learned that you want to share with new miners? Be willing to learn and strive to do your best. Many times, miners come from all over, so don’t be scared to embrace the community you have come to. Sometimes learning things from the community can be better than anything you can read about.
BSL_bZ`WOdZ`OZOTʬP]PY_Wd* Go to school earlier.
What was one experience you will never forget? 8d aP]d ʭ]^_ ,8, M]PLVQL^_ 4_ bL^ _SP QLWW ZQ 2010. I was in school at UAF and a fellow Nomeite invited me to the Fairbanks chapter breakfast. I showed up and my friend waved me over, I sat down, and he introduced me to the table. I sat in between two Alaskan Senators, coming
What keeps you awake at night? How important domestic mining really is.
The Alaska Miner
July 2019
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