Executive Summary Mining permeates the history and popular image of Alaska in a way that no other industry matches. Placer gold exploration and mining began with the Russians in the early 1800s. After acquisition by the United States, exploration and mining continued and gradually increased for both hard rock and placer minerals. Employment in the mining industry peaked in 1916 at

From the Editors Desk: You might have noticed that this issue of the Alaska Miner does not look quite the same as usual. We have turned the entire editorial content of this issue over to the staff at Alaska Resource Education (ARE). You probably have a general idea of what ARE is. They are the group that sells raffle

From the Editors Desk: Wow! It’s been quite a year of accolades for Roger Burggraf…who deserves each of them for his contributions to AMA and his community. His latest recognition was being named the 2014 William A. Egan Outstanding Alaskan of the Year by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. Amanda Voshell features Roger in her Faces of Mining column this

The Economic Impacts of Placer Mining in Alaska I have known, well before I arrived at AMA, that the heart and soul of Alaska’s mining industry lies with the placer miners. These operations, with so few workers accomplishing such great things, have exceeded expectations in Alaska for over one hundred years, and today, make up

Watching Mount Polley Executive Director Column by Deantha Crockett, AMA On August 4, a tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia, Canada, breached, spilling water and sediment into streams in the area. This is a very serious incident that requires an investigation, one that has been ordered by the British Columbia government.

Alaska Women in Mining Coalition visits with Delegation By: Deantha Crockett, AMA Executive Director On August 5, a group of nearly 30 female miners met with Alaska’s Congressional Delegation in Fairbanks to discuss their roles in the industry and the various issues impacting mining operations. Based on an idea from the national Women’s Mining Coalition,

Mining’s Workforce Challenge  Josie Hickel, AMA Workforce Development/HR Committee Chair With several new mines planning to start production in the next 10-15 years along with the steady operations of the state’s six operating mines, an important task for the mining industry is to be sure that there is a skilled workforce available for what could

From the Editor’s Desk On a recent trip I was pleasantly surprised to open my Alaska Airlines magazine and find a full-page ad for the Red Dog Mine sponsored by NANA and Teck. This was gratifying for several reasons.   First. The ad points out that they have been “responsibly developing potential in Alaska for

From the Editor’s Desk This issue highlights the Spring AMA Convention and Alaska Mining Day celebrated on May 9th at several AMA branch meetings. Our coverage is of the event held in Anchorage. Mining Day was actually on May 10th, a Saturday this year. On April 12, 2013, Governor Sean Parnell signed legislation establishing May

Senator Cathy Giessel speaks at Alaska Mining Day 2014.