A Message from the Executive Director
Welcome Our Newest Miner!
Dear Members, It seems the only constant is change.
There seems no end to the new set of rules and regulations and reversals and ridiculous challenges from Washington, despite the long and excellent track record we have for mining safely and responsibly. There also seems to be no appreciation that mining has ensured a better quality of life and a secure future for families from Ketchikan to Kotzebue. Families who see the reality of earning a great living in a job and industry they love. Know that your association — and this includes our staff, our officers, directors and volunteers — are working tirelessly with our Alaska delegation to ensure that they understand our needs and concerns, and that they are carrying that
Welcome to the AMA family, Jace Luiten! On Thursday, Aug. 5 at 11:39 a.m., AMA’s amazing Membership and Fundraising Director Jennifer, along with husband, Tony, and big brother Lucas, welcomed Jace at 8 pounds,10 ounces. Everyone is home and doing wonderfully!
We all feel that it was just yesterday we were moving into summer, our mining season, and our hopes for a return to normalcy. And while fall is nearly here and our efforts are moving full speed ahead, the questions about dealing with the pandemic continue to weigh on our short and long-term decisions. At the time of writing this, the situation has worsened, with Alaska returning to a “High” state of alert, our healthcare system stressed, and positive cases nearing their worst levels. Since it began, AMA has always approached the
message through Congress and to the White House. Our country needs us, what we do and what we produce. Our country needs the critical minerals that Alaska is rich with, if we can just produce them. And even if our country doesn’t always understand it, we are a key part of this new green electric based economy that they envision. We’re going to get through this, again, together. And we are going to see good things along the way. Such as our newest member of the AMA team, Jace William Luiten, who entered this world Aug. 5. Baby Jace, mom, Jennifer, Dad, Tony, and big brother Lucas are doing great. Jennifer continued her hard and invaluable work as our membership and fundraising director, as well as key leader of our convention committee, almost until the minute Jace arrived. We are very proud of her and happy for the whole family (and I really miss her, a lot). I wish you all a safe and prosperous ending to your field seasons, and as we come back in and greet fall, I remind you to stay vigilant on your health. The single best thing you can do to fight this pandemic is to get vaccinated, for yourself and for those who cannot. If not for health reasons, know that the private sector is beginning to respond to vaccination status, and the health of our industry, economy, and communities is going to play a big role in our potential opportunities moving forward.
pandemic with an abundance of caution to protect our members and our communities. We made the difficult decision to cancel two Conventions, suspend branch meetings, and overall disrupted our Association’s networking and outreach efforts. The widespread availability of vaccines brought much hope this year, and as I’ve traveled to various parts of Alaska this summer, the one resounding theme of my conversations with you has been “We’re having the Convention, right?” And we’d really, really like to. But as we look toward November, we find ourselves once again examining what we must do to mitigate risks. Recently, I sent out a survey and call for feedback on how we proceed with the November event. We know you are planning travel, purchasing materials, and designating staff time. You’re also generously investing in AMA with sponsorships and vendor booths. We are keeping this in mind as we aim to have a decision on the event format in the beginning of September, to give you the time you need to make your plans and decisions. We will advise you all via email, and please continue to watch our AlaskaMiners.org website for more details. The good news is that despite the likely social cautions coming our way, we are busier than ever. We are all praying this pandemic nightmare will end soon, but as always, as Alaska miners we will do whatever’s necessary to get the job done. The challenges from the Biden Administration are a direct threat to the way we mine in Alaska (and how seemingly any resource economy gets anything done, anywhere in our nation).
“We protect the environment because this is the land where we grew up.” – Evan Polty Jr. Lead Mechanic, Donlin Gold Born in Pilot Station and Resident of Russian Mission
Deantha Skibinski, Executive Director
Executive Board Bill Jeffress, President SRK Consulting, Anchorage Bartly Kleven, First Vice President Kinross-Fort Knox, Fairbanks Lorali Simon, Second Vice President Kim Aasand, Treasurer Aasand & Glore LLC, Anchorage
Branch Chairmen Ted Hawley, Anchorage Lorali Simon, Denali Jen Wieland, Fairbanks
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.
Liz Cornejo, Haines Jim Clark, Juneau
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 Skibinski, Executive Director Jennifer Luiten, Membership and Fundraising Director Darlene Strickland, Bookkeeper/Membership
Houston Morris, Kenai Blake Bogart, Nome Andrew Spokely, Ketchikan/Prince of Wales
Respectful development for all generations.
Committee Chairmen Kevin Adler, Convention
Follow us anytime: Online at AlaskaMiners.org Like us on Facebook at Alaska Miners Association Follow us on Twitter @alaskaminers
Howard Grey and JP Tangen, Federal Oversight Mike Satre and Lorali Simon, State Oversight
To learn more, visit us at donlingold.com
4
August 2021 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I August 2021
5
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease