THE ALASKA MINER JOURNAL: The publication is member-only news mailed to AMA members, eight times a year, in months when the Magazine is not published. The Alaska Miner Journal is dedicated to those who work in and support the mining industry in Alaska, its commitment to the people, and the resources of our state. Our goal is to disseminate information on responsible mineral development, educating the public about the value of mining, providing information for our membership and the general public, providing policymakers the information they need to understand the mining industry and monitor political and regulatory processes affecting mining in Alaska.
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December 2019 Volume 47, Number 12
Journal of the Alaska Miners Association
Jerry and Bev Harmon receive the Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement
Award from Ted Hawley.
2019 Convention One for the Ages
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A Message from the Executive Director
Dear Members, I think all of us are still coming down from the positive and high energy that was at this year’s convention: without question, our most successful in our organization’s history. There’s no reason to exaggerate: The Trade Show was sold out weeks before the convention. Our sponsorships hit a record, and our attendance soared well over 1,000. Recapping the week in this Journal gives me goosebumps all over again, and I hope that you too are proud of the event as you flip through these pages and review our success. Months of planning, and a few days of thinking on our feet, and just like that, it’s over. And there is so much credit deserved by our Committee volunteers, who spent months brainstorming, inviting, preparing, and implementing to bring our entire industry together for a week. Chairman Kevin Adler leads a good team including Program Chair, Steve Teller, who led us from the Donlin Camp the entire time; Varina Zinno who continued to improve the already phenomenal Core Shack and Prospectors Tent, and put together a safety session as well (no wonder she won Volunteer of the Year!); Sue Karl and Chris Stevens who put together two wildly successful short courses; Traci and Raesha Hartz for making our banquet absolutely beautiful; Traci and Michelle Pearson for making the app that makes our week easier; Wescott Bott for building sessions, contributing ideas and extending invitations, and always there to help; Tom Bundtzen who put on a fantastic History Night program; Eric Cannon who managed our Poster Session; our Session Chairs Joe Kurtak, Karen Matthias, Curt Freeman, Tathagata Ghosh, Jill Ladegard, Dave Hedderly-Smith, Ron Rimelman and Casey Burns, Mike Satre, and Jim Coxon; and Brian Bayless for ensuring our technical needs were always met and no error was ever made public! Last but certainly not least, Christy Andresen handled registration and exhibitor arrangements leading up to the event, and her expertise in event management has made us a lot better. And, while I know we get paid to do so, I would be remiss in not recognizing the AMA for their significant efforts in ensuring the Convention goes without
a snag. Jennifer, Laci, and Darlene are talented people and they love working with AMA members, and we are truly blessed to have them on the team. And most of all, I want to thank all of you, for your significant contributions to AMA year-round. It is no more apparent than at the Annual Convention when many of you leave your homes for an entire week, set up exhibit booths, compile presentations, sign sponsorship checks, provide volunteer support, bring colleagues, employees, and friends, and so much more. The Annual Convention is what provides for our ability to carry out the Alaska Miner mission, promoting responsible mineral development in Alaska. Your participation and support ensure that mission can be met, and I can speak on behalf of the entire Board of Directors in thanking you. Again, thank you, for what all of you do to support the organization, the industry and each other. Merry Christmas, and I am so excited for what 2020 has to bring!
Deantha Crockett Executive Director
Executive Board Bill Jeffress, President, SRK Consulting, Anchorage Bartly Kleven, First Vice President, Kinross-Fort Knox, Fairbanks Lorali Simon, Second Vice President, Usibelli Coal Mine Kim Aasand, Treasurer, Aasand & Glore LLC, Anchorage Branch Chairmen Ted Hawley, Anchorage Lorali Simon, Denali Mark Huffington, Fairbanks
Committee Chairmen Kevin Adler, Convention Howard Grey and JP Tangen, Federal Oversight Steve Grabacki, Fisheries Meg Smith, HR/Workforce Development Paul Glavinovich, State Oversight Follow us anytime: Online at AlaskaMiners.org Like us on Facebook at Alaska Miners Association Follow us on Twitter @alaskaminers
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 Alaska Miners Association Staff Deantha Crockett, Executive Director Jennifer Luiten, Membership and Fundraising Director Laci Michaud, Projects Manager Darlene Strickland, Bookkeeper/Membership
On The Cover: Numerous awards were handed out at the 2019 Convention. Jerry and Bev Harmon received the Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award from Ted Hawley.
Liz Cornejo, Haines Jim Clark, Juneau
Houston Morris, Kenai Blake Bogart, Nome Andrew Spokely, Ketchikan/Prince of Wales
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I December 2019
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Anchorage 80th Anniversary convention sets records
The 80th Anniversary Convention of our Alaska Miners Association set records on many levels, reflecting the opti- mism and positive winds leading the industry into 2020. More than 1,000 miners, mining industry executives, min- ing and supporting companies attending the convention Nov. 3-9 in Anchorage, our largest attendance ever. The three-day Mining Trade Show was a sellout, with more than 150 companies of every size, shape and specialty, gathering to network, plan work for 2020 and begin new working relationships. This trade show remains the largest gathering of mining companies in Alaska each year. Technical sessions, ranging from project updates on current and proposed projects, to strategic planning for safety, to new technology, also drew standing room only crowds, reflecting both the continuing growth the level of expertise in mining science, and the encouraging cur- rent climate for both exploration and investment in Alaska mining. All presentations as well as additional details from the convention are available at our AMA website. If you would like access to the convention materials, we have every- thing updated and posted to our website here or visit www. alaskaminers.org/previous-event-materials. To protect and safeguard information, we have made this section of our website password protected. The password is: AKMin- ers2019 We’d also like insight from attendees on what we can do better. We already received great feedback regarding the technical sessions and short courses and how informa- tive they were this year, but the more feedback we receive, the better we can make each convention for you, our wonderful members. We are always looking for feedback and ideas to ensure a successful event. Please respond to this survey honestly and constructively. We appreciate your response! Survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019AMA- Convention Our annual awards banquet and fundraiser for Alaska Resource Education was another sellout. The highlight was our annual recognition of members and companies who are leading our industry with hard work and inspiration every day. Our 2019 award winners are: n Hecla Mining Company, Corporate Member of the Year n Kinross Fort Knox, Hard Hat Safety Award n Varina Zinno, Volunteer of the Year n Jim Clark, Advocate of the Year n Jerry and Bev Harmon, Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award Look elsewhere in this issue of the Journal on more about each of these honorees.
And we set a huge new record raising more than $125,000 for ARE to continue its critical work educating Alaska’s young people about the critical importance of resource development in funding both Alaska’s critical services and future economic opportunities. Another feature that was new to this year’s banquet was a video that was created to Celebrate AMA’s 80th Anniver- sary and Mining in the Last Frontier. The video will be on the AMA website soon and was created with interviews that were conducted at our Alaska Mining Day 2019 event
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December 2019 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
sionals completed the judging out of San Francisco, AMA and the Alaska Mining Industry was awarded the “BEST EVENT (PARTY) IN ALASKA IN 2019!” But we’re not resting on our laurels from this record event — plans are already well underway for our biennial Fairbanks convention, coming in March 2020. Make plans now to join us in Fairbanks March 30-April 4. Look for more details in this and future issues of the Alaska Miner and online at AlaskaMiners.org.
that was held May 10. You can also view some photos and a write-up from our Alaska Miner Journal from June 2019. Speaking of AMA’s Alaska Mining Day 2019 Event, we found out during our award banquet that our event won first place at PRSA Alaska’s Aurora Awards! If you are in the PR/Com- munications field, this is a pretty prestigious award. This award honors comprehensive public relations campaigns that successfully communicate a message using a variety of tools, programs, and components. A panel of PR Profes-
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www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I December 2019
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Department of Natural Resources honors Ajax Mining
The State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources annually selects a locatable mineral exploration or min- ing operation that demonstrated outstanding mine rec- lamation. The Department of Natural Resources each year rec- ognizes an operation that has exceeded state reclama- tion standards, highlighting the hard work, responsible stewardship, and pride miners take in conducting rec- lamation. At the 2019Alaska Miners Association Annu- al Mining Convention, the Ferguson family owned cor- poration, Ajax Mining Alaska, Inc. (“Ajax Mining”) were recognized as most deserving recipients of this year’s Reclamation Award. Ajax Mining began placer mining operations in the Walk- er Fork Drainage of the Forty-mile River near Boundary, Alaska in 2008. The DNR Mining Section has conduct- ed site inspections before and after reclamation. The Alaska Legislature, in adopting the Statewide Recla- mation Standard in AS 27.19.020 provided that mining operations shall be reclaimed as contemporaneously as practicable with the mining operation to leave the site in stable condition.
Ajax Mining’s operation takes the prize for exemplifying contemporaneous placer mine reclamation at a level that stands out statewide. Ajax’s mining practice is to reclaim as they work through an area to keep the total surface disturbance to a min- imum at any given time. They mine relatively long and narrow strip using a progressive method of mining and reclamation utilizing a floating wash plant. This meth- od of mining is ideal for its efficiency and achieving the goal of ongoing reclamation making this method highly prized. The Ferguson family, including Ajax President Kim Fer- guson are very experienced with employing and excel- ling using this unique method of mining, having more than twenty years of experience in New Zealand and the Yukon. DNR recognizes that Ajax Mining takes great pride in their work, in both the approach to and practice of mining and reclamation. The State of Alaska would like to again thank all the past DNR Reclamation Award recipients for their responsible stewardship of Alaska’s resources and for exceeding the reclamation standards required by the State of Alaska.
Roadless Rule: Deadline Dec. 17 for comment
Alaskans serving Alaskans
AMA members have just a few days to comment on pending Roadless Rule action. Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture, within its agency the U.S. Forest Service, is undergoing a propos- al to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits tree harvest and road construction in our nation’s forests. Last year, the State of Alaska petitioned the USDA to exempt the Tongass from the national roadless rule. The USDA responded, directing the Forest Service to initiate steps to examine a state-specific roadless area management direction for the Tongass. The agen- cy developed a draft environmental impact statement and proposed rule after extensive work that included recommendations and comments from State officials, Alaska Native groups and corporations, organizations, and individuals. The DEIS prepared under the Nation- al Environmental Policy Act, provides an analysis of six alternatives to roadless management in Alaska. The alternatives range from no action to the removal of the Tongass from the 2001 Roadless Rule. The USDA has identified Alternative 6, which is a full exemption, as the Preferred Alternative. You can comment by December 17 using RDC action alert at www.akrdc.org.
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www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I December 2019
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DNR offering Nome leases in 2020 sale
sealed bids on March 23. Miners will be able to make and send their sealed bids to the State of Alaska start- ing on January 1, 2020 until 5 pm (AKST) on February 28. The minimum bid for each tract is indicated in the bidding packet available at: dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/min- ing/nome. Additional information including a map, bidder Statement of Qualifications, bidding instruc- tions and forms, and lessee’s responsibilities are also available in the packet online. “Successful bidders in the lease sale will receive an offshore mining lease which grants exclusive right to the locatable minerals in the offshore leased bound- aries on state-owned tide and submerged land. The lease tracts range in size from 34 to 375 acres ad will be issued for a term of 10 years subject to renewal. Before mining operations are conducted on the leas- es, the operator or lessee will be required to acquire all necessary permits from the regulating agencies having jurisdiction. For more information, contact the Project Coordina- tor Heather Lescanec at 907-269-8648 or Heather. lescanec@alaska.gov.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources will be holding an onshore lease sale for tidal and sub-
merged land near Nome in early 2020. Here is the official release from DRN:
“In accordance with AS 38.05.035 and AS 38.05.250 in 2011, the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Mining, Land and Water (DMLW) produced the Final Finding and Decision to hold an offshore lease sale for locatable minerals for tide and submerged lands offshore of Nome, Alaska.” From an original 83 leases and just over 23,000 acres of land, a total of 10 established leases and one mod- ified lease with a total of about 1060 acres were never given or have since been terminated. “Therefore, DNR will be having a lease sale for the al- ready established offshore lease tracts that current- ly do not have a lessee. The proposed lease sale will include lands in the table listed below, and are refer- enced in the Land Administrative System at: dnr.alas- ka.gov/landrecords. “The 2020 Nome Lease Sale will be a sealed bid pro- cess, with a live, open to the public reading of the
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December 2019 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
Corporate Members
Please support and thank these companies who have renewed their support and corporate membership in AMA. Their continued support makes possible all the work we do in and for the mining industry. A & D Drilling ACZ Laboratories Inc. AECOM Ahtna Inc. AIDEA AIL Mining/Big R Bridge Alaska Aggregate Products LLC Alaska Airlines Alaska Business Coastal Helicopters Coeur Alaska - Kensington Mine Colaska Colorado Mining Association Columbia River Carbonates CONAM Construction Company ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. Hy-Tech Drilling USA Ltd. IBEW Local 1547 Idaho Mining Association Imdex Limited Industrial Pumps of Alaska
Redpath USA Corporation Remote Made Easy (PSSA) Remote Site Services Inc. Resource Development Council RISQ Consulting Rotak Helicopter Services Royal Gold Inc. Ruen Drilling Inc. Ryan Air Inc. Samson Tug & Barge Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Satellite Technical Service Sitnasuak Native Corporation Skookum Development, Inc. Smithco Manufacturing Society For Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Soloy Helicopters LLC Sophie Station Suites - Fountainhead Hotels Sound Quarry Inc. Southeast Conference SRK Consulting Stantec Consulting Inc. Stoel Rives LLP Sumitomo Metal Mining America Sundance Mining Group Swick Drilling North America T & J Enterprises Inc. Taiga Mining Company Inc. Teck Alaska Inc. - Red Dog Temsco Helicopters Inc. TerraSond Ltd The Alaska Support Industry Alliance The Silver Institute TOTE Maritime Alaska Inc. Tower Hill Mines Inc. - Livengood Project Trilogy Metals, Inc. Tyler Rental Inc. University Redi-Mix Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. Utah Mining Association Visit Anchorage Waste Management National Services Sealaska Corporation SGS North America Inc. Shoreside Petroleum Inc. Siemens Industry, Inc. Wells Fargo Bank Alaska Western Pacific Crane & Equipment White Rock Minerals Ltd. Wolseley Industrial Group Women’s Mining Coalition World Trade Center Alaska Wyoming Mining Association Yukon Chamber of Mines Zonge International Inc.
Institute of Northern Engineering International Directional Services International Flow Ipop LLC ISCO Juneau Economic Development Council Kinross - Fort Knox Knight Piesold & Company Liebherr USA, Co. Lignite Energy Council Lupine Enterprises Lynden Madison Lumber & Hardware Inc. Mascott Equipment Company Metco, Inc. MFCP/Jackovich Millrock Resources Inc. Montana Mining Association Motion Industries, Inc. N C Machinery Company NANA National EWP National Mining Association Nevada Mining Association New Mexico Mining Association North Star Terminal & Stevedore Co. LLC Northern Air Cargo Northern Industrial Training Northern Industrial Training, LLC Northern Star (Pogo) LLC Northrim Bank Northspan Drilling Ltd. Northwest Mine Supply Northwest Pump Nova Minerals Limited NovaGold Resources Inc. NRC Alaska LLC NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines Orica USA Inc. Oxford Assaying & Refining Pace Analytical Labs Pacific Rim Chemicals Pathfinder Aviation, LLC Pebble Limited Partnership Perkins Coie LLP Petro Marine Services Petro Star/Sourdough Fuel PND Engineers Inc. PolarX Limited Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc. Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Quality Auto Parts
Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. Construction Machinery Industrial LLC Consumer Energy Alliance Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) Craig Taylor Equipment Company Crowley Fuels LLC Cummins Sales & Service Davies Public Affairs Delta Industrial Services Inc. Delta Western Petroleum LLC (Haines) Delta Western Petroleum LLC (Juneau) Denali Industrial Supply Inc. Donlin Gold LLC Dorsey & Whitney LLP DOWL Doyon, Limited Eastern Oregon Mining Association Ecological Land Services Inc. Energy Laboratories Inc. Epiroc Equipment Source, Inc. ERM Alaska ESS Support Services Everts Air Cargo Exxon Mobil F.R. Bell & Associates, Inc. Fairweather LLC First Bank First National Bank Alaska Flanders Frontier Supply Company GCI Business General Refining Corporation Geotemps Inc. Global Equipment Services Gold Buyers of Alaska -dba:GBA Assaying & Refining Granite Construction Company Grant Lake Corporation Graymont Great Northwest Inc. Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Ground Truth Americas Inc. HDR Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company HighGold Mining Ltd Holland America Line - Princess Cruises Hyak Mining Company
Alaska Coastal Aggregates LLC Alaska Commercial Fishing & Agricultural Bank Alaska Forest Association Alaska Frontier Constructors Inc. Alaska Gold Company, LLC Alaska Industrial Hardware Alaska Policy Forum Alaska Power & Telephone Company Alaska Pump & Supply Inc. - A DXP Company Alaska Railroad Corporation Alaska Resource Education Alaska Rock Products Association Alaska Roteq Alaska State Chamber of Commerce Alaska Trucking Association American Exploration & Mining Association American Land Rights Association Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Anchorage Sand & Gravel Inc. Arcticom LLC, a BSNC Company Arizona Mining Association Aspen Hotels of Alaska Assoc For Mineral Exploration BC Associated General Contractors of Alaska Aurora Geosciences (Alaska) Ltd. Automatic Welding & Supply Avidian Gold Corporation AVTEC - Alaska Vocational Technical Center Bald Mountain Air Service Beacon Occupational Health and Bobcat of Juneau Boyer Towing Inc. Brenntag Pacific Brice Inc. Brilliant Media Strategies Alaska, Inc. Builders Choice Modular, LLC C & R Pipe and Steel Inc. CalCIMA Calista Corporation Carlile Chamber of Mines of Eastern BC Chugach Alaska Corporation City of Ketchikan Safety Services, Inc. Big Ray’s Alaska Inc.
Not yet a member of the Alaska Miners Association? Or have not yet renewed your membership? Renew today so you don’t miss a single issue of The Alaska Miner or the 2020 Alaska Miners Handbook and Service Directory, available only to AMA members. Call or email Jennifer Luiten, Membership and Fundraising Director 907-270- 9232. jennifer@AlaskaMiners.org.
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I December 2019
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Race Family honored by Bureau of Land Management
AMA member Race Family Mining Operation (DBA Goldnuts, LLC), Jack Wade won the Bureau of Land Management’s 2019 Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award, which recognizes operators or organizations, with fewer than 15 employees, who have demonstrated continuous or repeated efforts to successfully meet or exceed Federal, State or local reclamation requirements with minimal oversight. “The Race Family Mining Operation is being recognized for their progressive approach to stream reclamation in the Fortymile Wild and Scenic River area of Alaska,” the award statement said. “Since 2014, they have improved upon traditional reclamation practices in order to accelerate both wildlife and fisheries habitat recovery. They have also conducted stream reclamation procedures for neighboring operations.” The awards were presented at a ceremony in Washington by BLM Deputy Director for Operations Michael D. Nedd. The Department
of the Interior created the Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards Program to showcase some of the finest examples of responsible mineral resource development. The purpose of the awards is to recognize superior work involving the three components of sustainable development: environmental health, social responsibility and economic security. Congressman Don Young congratulates Jack Wade for winning the BLM’s Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award for outstanding reclamation at the Race Family Mining Operation.
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www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I December 2019
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2019 AMA Honors Mining Industry Awardees
At the 2019 AMA awards banquet, we honored four amazing Alaskans and two amazing companies that give back to our industry every day. They are: n Varina Zinno, Volunteer of the Year n Jim Clark, Advocate of the Year n Jerry and Bev Harmon, Chuck Hawley Lifetime Jerry and Bev Harmon, Chuck Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award The Chuck Hawley award recognizes an Alaskan, or in this case an Alaskan couple, who have devoted their life to not just mining, but in educating others about the importance of mining in Alaska. In 2019, this award honors Jerry and Beverly Harmon, nominated by four AMA members. The Charles C. (Chuck) Hawley Lifetime Achievement Award is named in honor of the longtime AMA member and former Executive Director Emeritus who dedicated his entire career to advancing Alaska’s mining industry. This award seeks to recognize the service contributions of a mining industry pioneer, individual, or employee who, like Chuck, devoted his professional life to ensuring a successful mining industry in Alaska. This award will honor the dedication and success Chuck exemplified during his career: devotion of time, effort, thought, and action consistently shown in his mining industry service, perseverance and ambition, and a love for educating Alaskans on mining industry endeavors. Jerry and Beverly have devoted a major portion of their lives to demonstrating the benefits of mining. They are instrumental in keeping Alaska mining industry visible and positive. Jerry has been active and a member of the Alaska Miners Association since 1974. He has attended annual conventions on a consistent basis. Beverly has consistently attended the annual convention alongside Jerry. Jerry has donated unique mining items for auction at the annual banquet that provide funding support for AMA. Jerry has participated in numerous exploration and mining projects throughout Alaska for the past 45 years including: Assisting with all portions of exploration projects at the Red Dog Mine leading up to the development and production of current operations. Supervising many phases of operations at Valdez Creek, in the Denali mining district. Directing surface and underground operations for the AJ Mine in Juneau Serving as General Foreman from 1995 to present at Kensington Mine, Juneau Jerry has been involved with the exploration and
Achievement Award n Hecla Mining Company, Corporate Member of the Year n Kinross Fort Knox, Hard Hat Safety Award On these pages we share with you the nominations for each of these honorees, detailing why they represent the best of us and set a role model we can all admire.
Jerry and Beverly Harmon
development of numerous other projects including Chicken-Asbestos Property, Wiseman and Kobuk. Jerry has participated with the exploration of the Kensington Mine since 1989, assisted with the mine’s construction and is currently the Surface General Foreman. He has been instrumental in the continued operation of the project since 2005. Despite his age, Jerry continues to direct daily activities at Kensington and he projects a positive work attitude and provides a positive work environment for all the employees under his supervision. In addition to Jerry and Bev’s accomplishments throughout Alaska for nearly five decades, they provide support to the community in many ways. They consistently provide volunteer service to numerous organizations. Jerry, with Beverly’s assistance, organized the first Annual Juneau Gold Rush Days in Juneau which promotes and positively reinforces the contributions of the mining industry throughout the state of Alaska. Jerry has diversified Gold Rush days to include family events which attracts and encourages many persons in the Juneau community to attend and further understand that mining is not only a positive economic drive in the state but also one that is responsible and cares about the communities and how mining is a responsible industry.
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2019 AMA Honors
Kinross Fort Knox Mine, 2019 AMA Hard Hat Safety Award Winner AMA’s Hard Hat Safety Award honors a group or person active in AMA who demonstrates an exemplary commitment to safety. The award recipient will demonstrate the highest safety standards, communication of safety policies and training, and have an exemplary record of incident-free days, hours, or other milestones. Awards may go to an operating mine, project, or contractor/vendor who services the mining industry in Alaska. Lorali Simon presented the 2019 Hard Hat Award to Kinross Fort Knox Mine: “Recently, one of our mining operations in the state was awarded the Sentinels of Safety Award on October 21 in Washington, DC. This set of awards is the most prestigious in the industry, awarded by the National Mining Association. This operation won for its best- ever safety record, which means that it was the best performance in the industry for its size of mine in 2018. With this mine coming in at around 1.5-million man-hours last year with no lost time incidents, this was a stupendous achievement. “Initiated in 1925 by Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, the Sentinels of Safety Award program remains the nation’s most prestigious recognition of mine safety and has helped foster a strong safety commitment on the part of US mines. The National Mining Association’s
Sentinels of Safety Award recognizes coal and mineral mining operations for recording the most hours in a calendar year without a single lost-time injury. “To win a Sentinels of Safety Award, mines must demonstrate key aspects similar to what AMA outlines in its award criteria: exemplary safety practices. This mine boasts FOUR key safety programs: the See it, Own it, Solve (SOS) safety program, the management of powered haulage safety program, the evolving Critical Risk Management program and the CORESafety Certification program. “Putting people first is a core value for this company and they are committed to achieving excellence in health and safety performance, and to everyone returning home safe and healthy every day. It is no surprise that this award, goes to one of the largest mines ever having received it – the Fort Knox Mine.”
Jason Morris repeats as top recruiter for AMA The 2019 Membership Recruitment Challenge recruited 34 new AMA members. Thank you to everyone for your efforts! “We are proud to support the recruitment challenge as AMA continues to grow the membership base for many years to come,” said Jennifer Luiten and Gemma Hawley.
For the second year in a row, Redpath Mining’s Jason Morrison won the annual AMA Recruitment Contest, by bringing 23 new members for our association during 2019. Here Jason accepts the grand prize, two Alaska Airline tickets, from AMA’s Jennifer Luiten and Gemma Hawley.
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I December 2019
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2019 AMA Honors
Hecla Mining Company, AMA Corporate Member of the Year AMA’s Corporate Member of the Year Award honors an organization active in AMA who embodies the true strength of a membership-based organization and corporate support of the organization. John Shively recounted Hecla Mining Company’s many contributions in presenting this award. “This company has gone above and beyond to support the mining industry. I could go on and on with accolades for Hecla, but I think you get the picture and will agree Hecla Mining Company is a great choice for AMA Corporate Member of the Year. “One of Hecla’s greatest corporate gifts to the industry is that for the past six years, Government and Community Relations Manager Mike Satre has served as an AMA Officer, the last two being AMA President. At this time, Mike also served on the Executive Boards of the Alaska Chamber, Resource Development Council, Council of Alaska Producers, and Juneau Chamber. Hecla has given vast amounts of Mike’s time to ensure the mining industry voice is well represented statewide and at the community level. “During his Presidency, Mike was known for provocative, assertive columns in the Alaska Miner Magazine where he had to directly address some controversial issues with previous State and Federal Administrations. Hecla allowed Mike to speak freely and directly, even when other companies and individuals remained more passive. Mike pushed back on things like the CERCLA 108b financial assurance proposal, traveling to DC with the Executive Director to express the damage that rule would have done to the industry with no additional benefit. He called out former state leaders who opposed the Pebble Project, insisting that their omission of the NEPA structure was inappropriate. He served, and continues to do so, as AMA’s representative on the Transboundary Mining Citizens Workgroup to ensure the State/Provincial collaboration between Alaska and British Columbia is fostered and mining companies operating in both jurisdictions have a voice. “Before his involvement as a statewide officer, Mike was already well immersed in AMA on AMA’s State Oversight, Federal Oversight, and fisheries committees. He singlehandedly produced the Juneau Biennial Conventions for many years, and continually manages AMA’s advocacy efforts in collaboration with the Executive Director, lobbyist, and State Oversight Committee. “Before that, Hecla seconded Mike to run the Council of Alaska Producers for several years, particularly
Mike Satre accepts the Corporate Member of the Year Award for Hecla Mining.
Mike Satre is the outgoing president of AMA.
during Ballot Measure Campaigns. “In addition to countless hours of staff time over the past year, Hecla also supported the industry by featuring multiple mine tours in which bipartisan groups like the House Resources Committee and Congressional Delegation members and staff, as well as the International Joint Commission visited the mine to see its impressive operation. Visitors left with a very favorable impression about how the industry operates and is regulated in Alaska. “Finally, in this past year Hecla has supported AMA incredibly generously from a financial perspective, being the first to jump on sponsorship of the 80th Anniversary Mining Day party, Convention, and much more. But Hecla went steps beyond to support events held by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and Alaska Support Industry Alliance, to provide support to the organizations that so often step up and support mining.”
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December 2019 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
2019 AMA Honors
Jim Clark, AMA Advocate of the Year Jim Clark was honored as the 2019 Advocate of the Year for his many years of work to open up Southeast Alaska to resource development. Here’s how we described his contributions at the award banquet. “There’s a little piece of land in Southeast Alaska that few people of heard of and doesn’t get a lot of attention. It’s called the Tongass National Forest. Despite its relatively unknown existence, throughout the 1900s it was a fantastic place to work and play and supported responsible resource industries, vibrant communities and healthy economies. “For the past two decades it’s been supported by irresponsible activism, unnecessary overuse of environmental protection and overregulation. A decision by the Clinton administration to include the Tongass in Roadless Rule protection all but shut down logging and the businesses, communities and families it supported and made it incredibly difficult to pursue resource projects. Varina Zinno, AMA Volunteer of the Year In an organization dependent on strong volunteer support, Varina Zinno stands out as going far above and beyond in her service to AMA, and is honored as our 2019 Volunteer of the Year. Convention chairman Kevin Adler Committee a few years ago. At her first meeting, she dove right in with ideas on how to make a Core Shack similar to ones seen at larger Conventions, but Alaska-style. She began recruiting Core Shack participants and right off the bat, her efforts outgrew the space and time the Convention Committee had designated based on a first- year assumption. “I think it was about three days after the conclusion of that Convention that she emailed the Committee and asked for more days and more space the following year, and boy did she deliver. Not only did she sell out the Core Shack, but she added a Prospector’s Tent and sold that out too. That year, as the Convention neared, she came up with creative networking opportunities and all of a sudden, it was the place to be during the Convention, with sponsored beverages, music, and big smiles all around. presented the award to her with this insight: “Varina became active on the AMA Convention “It was no surprise that this year, she continued on her success and answered member requests with the addition of the ClaimPost. She again increased the size and participant number in the Core Shack, Prospector’s Tent, and added with the ClaimPost, these features
“During the 2000s, efforts to continue protecting the Tongass opposed to those who would responsibly use it has resulted in appeals, repeals, executive orders, proposals, Records of Decision, indecision, commentary, opinion and litigation. “Throughout, one man has been heavily involved in the processes and ridiculousnesses, he has used his vast network across a range of stakeholders (political, industrial, environmental, legal) to make it understood a healthy Tongass National Forest also means healthy resource development within its boundaries. “What often seemed like a losing battle, and one in which this man took a not insignificant amount of abuse, many of us got to the point of rolling our eyes or shrugging out shoulders in a “what are you gonna do” attitude towards any kind of resolution. However, this year, in a series of actions and political support, the Tongass National Forest stands poised to receive an Alaska-specific, full exemption from the Roadless Rule under the direction of President Trump.” continue to be a huge draw on our trade show floor. “Minor little detail – this year she did all of this in her slivers of spare time while being out in the field with little to no internet or phone connectivity all season long. “But wait – I’m not done. Even having her hands full and then some, she brainstormed what she felt was an imperative and overlooked subject of all aspects of safety in our industry, and put together the safety panel discussion held at the theme technical session. Varina’s energy is contagious, her passion heartwarming, and hard work so appreciated, and she is a great choice for AMA Volunteer of the Year. Varina Zinno receives the Volunteer of the Year Award from convention Chairman Kevin Adler.
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Thank You to Our 2019 Trade Show Vendors!
Our trade show was a complete SELLOUT! Acrow Bridge, ACZ Laboratories, Inc., AECOM, AIL Mining, Alaska Aggre- gate Products, LLC, Alaska Airlines/ Alaska Air Cargo, Alaska Business, Alaska Clean Tanks, Alaska Dreams, Inc., Alaska Earth Sciences, Alaska Horn & Antler, Alaska Industrial Hard- ware, Inc., Alaska Minerals Inc., Alaska Railroad, Alaska Resource Education, Alaska Roteq Corporation, Alas- ka Rubber & Rigging Supply, Alaska Satellite Internet, Alaska Steel, Co., Alaska Support Industry Alliance, All Pro Toyota Alaska, Arcticom LLC, ARS Aleut Analytical, LLC, Aurora Geosci- ences (Alaska) Ltd., Automatic Weld- ing & Supply Corp., Beacon Occupa- tional Health and Safety Services, Inc., Black Gold Express, BLM Minerals, BME USA Inc., Boart Longyear, Boreal GeoSciences, Brenntag Pacific, Inc., Bruker Corporation, Bureau Veritas Minerals, Builders Choice Modular, LLC, Calista Corporation, Cardoso In- tegrated Security (CIS Alaska), Chem- Treat, Columbia River Carbonates, Composit, CONAM Construction Company, Construction Machinery Industrial, LLC, CB Pacific, Crowley Fuels, Cummins Inc., Denali Industrial Supply, Inc, Denali Industrial Supply/ Jennmar, Delta Mining Services, Delta
Pump, Delta Western Petroleum LLC/ Inlet Energy, Discovery Drilling Inc., DXP Alaska Pump and Supply, Dyno Nobel Inc., EcoSolution Distributing, Elemetal Direct, Energy Laboratories Inc., Equipment Source, Inc., ERM, Esri, Everts Air Cargo, Fairweather, LLC, Fibergrate Composite Struc- tures, Inc., Fireweed Strategies LLC, First Drilling, Frontier Supply, Geo- temps, Inc., GES Rental LLC (Global Equipment Services Inc.), GF Urecon, Gold Buyers of Alaska: GBA Assaying & Refining, Golder Associates Inc., Ground Truth Americas Inc., Horst Ex- pediting & Remote Operations, Imdex Limited, International Directional Ser- vices (IDS), International Flow, ISCO, JCM Industries, JH Fletcher & Co., JOA Surveys LLC, Lake and Peninsula Airlines, Lawson Products, Inc., Lieb- herr USA, Co., Lynden, Major Drilling America, Inc., Mascott Equipment, MES Mining (Mining & Environmental Services LLC), Microcom, Midnight Sun Drilling Inc., Millrock Resources Inc., Montgomery & Associates, Mo- tion & Flow Control Products, Mount Baker Mining & Metals, NC Machinery, New Horizons Telecom, Inc., North of 60 Mining News, Northern Star (Pogo) LLC, Northspan Drilling Ltd., North- west Pump, NRC Alaska, Orica USA Inc, Oxford Assaying & Refining Corp,
Pathfinder Aviation, LLC, Pebble Lim- ited Partnership, Pollux Aviation Ltd., Pro-Seal Service Group, Purcell Tire, Rain for Rent, Redpath USA, Rivers of Gold - IPOP LLC, Roadpost USA Inc., ROTAK Helicopter Services, Rough- stock Mining Services, Ruen Drilling Inc, Sample Archive System, Inc., Samson Tug & Barge Co., Inc. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, Seametrics, SGS North America Inc., Shoreside Petroleum Inc., SLR Inter- national Corporation, SmithCo Man- ufacturing, Inc., Soloy Helicopters, LLC, Sophie Station Suites, SRK Con- sulting, Stantec Consulting Services, State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, State of Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Surveyors Exchange, Tagiuk Gold, Tai- ga Ventures/Pacwest Drilling, Techline Alaska, TEMSCO Helicopters, Inc., TerraSond Limited, An Acteon Compa- ny, TOTE Maritime Alaska, TrailerCraft, Inc.,Transgroup Global Logistics, Trijet Precision Cutting, TTT Environmental, LLC, UMV, Express DMV Solutions, US Geological Survey, USDA Forest Service, Wartsila North America, Inc., Weir Minerals North America ,Wolse- ley Industrial Group/Ferguson Enter- prises, Inc., Zonge International Inc.
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December 2019 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
Pioneering Anthony, 93, left lasting legacy in Alaska
Kurt R. Lindsey , President/CEO | Petro 49, Inc.
Longtime Alaskan resident Leo Mark Anthony passed away November 6, 2019, while wintering in Green Valley, Arizona. Anthony was 93. Leo came to the then Territory of Alaska in 1946, after serving as a paratrooper during the Second World War. He graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks as a Mining Engineer and spent many years traveling around Alaska teaching prospecting and small-scale mining. He was Professor Emeritus of the University of Alaska and a Director Emeritus of the Alaska Miners Association. He is survived by his Wife of 64 years Beverly and three sons and their wives: Michael and Margret; Don and Joy; and Robert and Ana. A celebration of life will be planned for summer 2020.
Fine Fuels, Super Service, Quality Lubricants
Family owned since 1959
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New and Renewing Members
Thank you to all the AMA corporate and individual members who joined or renewed their membership to the association in October. You make AMA possible! Corporations Flanders Operator Andrew & Becki Lee Kimberly Bustillos Daniel Coffey
John O’Brien Nansen Olson Rick A & Wendy Olson Jessica Pickett Jamie Rich George Seuffert Jr. Shane Smithhisler Lee & Melinda St. Pierre Missy Stearns Jason Turnquist Darell Tweet Jake Vanagel Colin & Amanda Webb Daniel M. White Robert E. Wilson Jr. Ryan Youngblood
Gold Buyers of Alaska -dba:GBA Assaying & Refining Liebherr USA, Co. Lupine Enterprises National EWP Northwest Pump Pace Analytical Labs Pacific Rim Chemicals Sound Quarry Inc. Swick Drilling North America
Joseph Galluzzi Tathagata Ghosh Ronny Harvey Destany Hawley Jim Hill Sarah Ingram Pelham Jackson Brian Johnson Lucky Kirkendoll Jerry McBeath Connor Messler Jud Napier Kyle Negri Christian Norman
Professional Lena Brommeland Thomas Craig Peter Frantz William Morris James Whitlock
Individuals Nelson & Bethany Alcala
John Anderson Steve Anderson Jon Black
It’s not too late! To ensure you’re advertis- ing message is reaching Alaska’s mining industry throughout 2020. But ad- vertising deadlines are fast approaching to reserve you space in the three Alaska Miner Association publica- tions: The 2020 Alaska Miners Handbook and Service Directory The Alaska Miner Miner The Alaska Miner Journal To be sure you’re includ- ed, call or email Publisher Lee Leschper, Fireweed Strategies, 907-957-6025 or Lee.Leschper@Fire- weedStrategies.com today!
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December 2019 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
Thank you to our sponsors, vendors and participants! Without you, the AMA convention wouldn’t be possible, nor would the work we do the rest of the year. Please help us thank the following companies:
GOLD
NovaGold Resources Inc. Redpath USA Rivers of Gold - IPOP LLC Soloy Helicopters Taiga Mining Company Teck Alaska Inc.
Coeur Alaska - Kensington Mine Construction Machinery Industrial, LLC Donlin Gold Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company Kinross-Fort Knox Northern Star (Pogo) LLC
SILVER Alaska Aggregate Products , LLC • Alaska Airlines/Alaska Air Cargo • Alaska Frontier Constructors Inc. • BGC Engineering, Inc.• CONAM Construction Company • HDR • NANA • NC Machinery • Oxford Assaying & Refining Corp. • Ruen Drilling, Inc. Stantec Consulting Services COPPER AIDEA • Coastal Helicopters, Inc. • Constantine Metal Resources, LTD • Fuse & Traverse, LLC. • Gold Buyers of Alaska: GBA Assaying & Refining • Golder Associates • HighGold Mining Ltd • New Horizons Telecom, Inc. • North of 60 Mining News • Pebble Limited Partnership • Perkins Coie LLP • Quintillion Networks • SRK Consulting • Stoel Rives LLP • Trilogy Metals, Inc. • Waste Management National Services • Weir Minerals COAL Alaska Business Monthly • Alaska Earth Sciences, Inc. • Alaska Land Status, Inc. • Aurora Geosciences (Alaska) Ltd. • Avalon Development Corp. • Beacon Occupational Health and Safety Services, Inc. • Chugach Alaska Corporation • ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. • Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) • Core Geoscience LLC • Denali Industrial Supply, Inc. • Dorsey & Whitney LLP • Fairweather, LLC • Graphite One (Alaska) Inc. • Industrial Pumps of Alaska • Lynden • McDowell Group • Michael Baker International • Northrim Bank • Power the Future • SMS Equipment Inc. • Tower Hill Mines • Travis/Peterson Environmental • Usibelli Coal Mine • Victaulic • Western Alaska Copper & Gold MEAL ACZ Laboratories, Inc. • Bristol Bay Native Corporation • Energy Laboratories • Hawley Resource Group • International Directional Services • Mining and Petroleum Training Service • On-line Exploration Services • Phoenix Industrial, Inc. • Samson Tug & Barge, Inc. • SVL Analytical Inc. • Travis/Peterson Environmental Consulting, Inc. • TTT Environmental
CONVENTION BADGES: Geotemps, Inc. CONVENTION BAGS: Boart Longyear CORE SHACK: Sample Archive System Inc. CORE SHACK HAPPY HOUR: Ruen Drilling Inc., Trilogy Metals, Inc. LOUNGE: GCI Power Lounge PROGRAM: PIP Printing
SPECIALTY AUDIO VISUAL: IMIG Audio/Video BANQUET BEER: Oxford Assaying & Refining Corp BANQUET FLORAL CENTERPIECES: Millrock Resources, Inc. BANQUET WINE: Orica Alaska
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