Click Bishop has mined and enjoyed Alaska’s great outdoors his entire life. He is a champion of the Alaskan way of life, focusing on what will of the state for generations to come. Contributed Photos EHEHQHÀFLDO to the future
Where do you see mining in Alaska in 50 years? I think Alaska has a very bright future in the mining industry. We are 50 years behind in know- ing what we have for resources. What do you see as our biggest challenges? And big- gest opportunities? Our biggest challenges in Alaska are not under- ground. They are above ground! We have to always be vigilant as to not regulate ourselves out of a job. As well, we have to maintain a balance with our en- vironment. Workforce development should always be a num- ber one priority; don’t lose focus on training Alas- VLY^LYORTaTYRZ`]]P^TOPY_^_SPʭ]^_Z[[Z]_`YT_d at those jobs. The state education K-12, University of Alaska and the industry have done a good job over the last 15 years in really bringing all assets to bear in this area. I encourage them to keep it up. What does Alaska Miners Association mean to you? The Alaska Miners Association is the glue that keeps the industry alive and well. The dedicated ef- QZ]_^ZQ_SP^_LʬL^bPWWL^_SPaZNL_TZYLWLYOTY - dustry partners make the organization what it is. Without them we would not have an industry that is key to Alaska and the country economic future going forward.
Any other advice you’d like to share? I would like to pass along to current and future operators is to be vigilant about work place safety. Never lose sight of that. Work every day to keep a neat and clean operation. If your operation is neat and squared away, you are 90 percent of the way there on passing regulatory inspections, and in my humble opinion, it helps improve your bottom line ZY[]Zʭ_ You made a point about keeping Alaska Department ZQ9L_`]LW=P^Z`]NP^]PRTZYLWXTYTYRZʯNP^Z[PYTY Alaska. Can you explain more why that’s important? I have received numerous phone calls from Inte- rior miners about the Governor’s budget cuts to the 1LT]MLYV^=PNZ]OP]^:ʯNP?ST^ZʯNPSL^LW]PLOd SLO^_Lʬ]PO`N_TZY^LYOUZM^_SL_bP]P]PWZNL_PO_Z Anchorage. Additionally, it was moved inside the /9=ZʯNPTY1LT]MLYV^ Miners can now pay their annual rent/leases and ʭWP_SPT],YY`LW7LMZ]=P[Z]_^TY_SP^LXPM`TWOTYR ?SP^_LʬTY1LT]MLYV^[]ZaTOP^LaLW`LMWP^P]aTNP_Z the mining industry and are very helpful, especial- ly to those who aren’t able to access the internet remotely. I can’t sit back and watch more jobs and services being moved out of Fairbanks to Anchorage I will be advocating to keep those services here in Fairbanks where they are needed.
April 2019
The Alaska Miner
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