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Sunday, April 6, 2014
ALASKA MINERS ASSOCIATION
Conference classes for the public presentations by experts in the industry and state and federal government will covThe Alaska Miners Association’s 24th er an array of subjects. The course will start Interior Conference to be held April 7-13 with industry terminology, continue with will feature five courses that should be of geology of mineral deposits, present the interest to the public. six large Alaska hard rock mines, present These courses are presented by industry a discussion of waste materials handling, experts and federal and state regulators. permitting of mines, environmental monThese courses are, in expected order of itoring, financial assurances, mine closure public interest, Mining 101, Placer Min(reclamation) and economics of the indusing 101, Mine Regulatory Requirements try. This course will be conducted on April — Environmental & Permitting, Mineral 7 with registration fees of $150. Processing, and Freshwater Habitat MitiPlacer Mining 101 is a one-day intensive gation. An additional two MSHA Refresher course to provide an orientation to many Annual Training courses will be presented. aspects of placer mining in Alaska. It will Course registration information can be include an overview of permitting, genfound at www.alaskaminers.org. eral review of sampling and exploration, A number of conditions are common to mining examples, and processing systems, all courses. and best management practices for reclaConference registration is not required mation of placer mines. This course will be to register for the courses; pre-registration conducted April 8 with registration fees of is required. All the courses including the $150. MSHA Surface Refresher will be held in Mine Regulatory Requirements — the Carlson Center. An 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Environmental & Permitting is a course schedule will be observed. Lunch and designed to provide the small mine operasnacks are included in the registration tor with a practical understanding of perprice. Student registration prices are promitting needs and exposures for failure to vided for all non-MSHA classes. comply. The morning session will provide Mining 101 is a course intended to proan in-depth discussion of wetlands issues; vide the general public with an introduca panel discussion of presenters will be tion to Alaska’s mineral industry. Sixteen included. The afternoon session will proBy Alaska Miners Association
vide a review of regulatory requirements for ADEC and federal compliance, including fuels management and water quality and an in-depth presentation for operators on federal claims. Full day registration fees are $200; one-half day registration fees of $100 are provided for those interested in either half of the course, particularly the morning wetlands session. Minerals Processing is intended for operators, new plant hires, equipment manufacturers, utility personnel, mineral purchasers, chemical vendors, construction personnel, other support staff intending to gain a better understanding of mineral processing equipment, and to anyone else wishing to expand their knowledge of mineral processing. Participants will be exposed to principles and practices of operation including screening, classification, cleaning, gravity separation, chemical concentration, dewatering and thickening. Presentations will include video clips, photographs/schematics, circuits, mass balance calculations, procedures for measuring performance, other. This course will be conducted on April 7 and cost $200. Freshwater Habitat Mitigation for Mining Projects is designed to meet the needs of placer miners, mid- to large-scale
mine operators, and contractors associated with the mining industry as well as anyone interested in the topic. The course is divided into two modules: 1) Lakes & Streams, and 2) Wetlands; each module begins with a broad overview on important Interior Alaska issues. This course will provide an overview of assessment of impacts to wetlands and fish habitat from a mining perspective and will walk through mitigation project considerations needed for the permitting process. Experienced presenters from agency and the private sector will provide a practical, well-rounded guide to assessing and planning project mitigation in an upfront, manageable way without a lot of technical jargon. End of day groups will be with panel speakers and will each work an exercise in mitigation planning; this will be followed with a Q & A session. This course will be conducted on April 8 and cost $200. Two MSHA Annual Refresher training courses will be offered for those needing this mandatory update. The Surface Refresher will be conducted on April 12 at the Carlson Center and cost $25. The Underground Refresher will be conducted April 13 at the CMI conference room at 2615 20th Avenue off Peger Road and will cost $25.
CROCKETT Continued from 4
Equipment Haulers, Flat Decks, Goosenecks, Enclosed Cargo, Truck Beds – White Spruce has the trailers for the mining industry! Repair Supplies and Service Work Available for Your Trailers. DEANTHA CROCKETT
foster communication between the offshore miners, Nome residents, local government and the onshore miners who have been there for years.” Under Crockett’s leadership, the miners association has evolved, adding staff and moving its offices. “It is a wonderful job, both challenging and rewarding, and I am very blessed to have it,” Crockett said. Contact freelance writer Amanda Bohman at aknewsgirl@gmail.com.
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resource development in Alaska. Crockett spent seven years as the projects coordinator for the Resource Development Council, a statewide business association involving oil and gas, mining, forest products, tourism and fisheries industries. She joined the miners association in 2012. “I was approached by some of the members in common to consider the position, and at first I balked at the idea,” Crockett wrote. “I didn’t complete that geology program, and I certainly wasn’t an engineer. What do I know about mining? I learned very fast that being with AMA is having nearly 2,000 experts on hand in the form of members.” At the Resource Development Council, Crockett focussed on mining and tourism. One of the projects she worked on was fighting a 2008 ballot initiative establishing stricter regulations on mining. The initiative failed. Since joining the miners association, Crockett has worked to support Nome’s offshore mining efforts, which have expanded in recent years. “It’s brought some struggles into the community as they don’t have adequate housing, boat storage in the harbor etc.,” Crockett wrote, “and we have been playing a role to