I THINK MINING

The Alaska Miners Association Southeast Spring Meeting is in Juneau from March 15 to 18, 2011.  A preliminary agenda can be found at the link.  Topics for sessions include: training, safety, and exploration.  On the Saturday following the conference are field trips to Greens Creek or the Kensington Mine.  I know Greens Creek well, so may be able to persuade myself to go to the Kensington Mine. 

Full disclosure:  I have been invited to present a short course before the meeting.  The topic we have settled on is Diamonds, Oil, and Gold: Mine Closure in Cold Climates.   We settled on this topic, primarily because right now I am involved in consulting to a diamond mine in the North West Territories where a major part of the project is design for closure.  Also I am involved in projects for Suncor Oil Sands on projects that go to the heart of closure, and involve closure. 

I have pretty much completed a new EduMine course on Mine Closure, The Basics of Success.  I am not sure if EduMine will be able to get the course up by the time of the Conference, but I have a great deal of materials that we could provide to course attendees. 

Keep in mind that I have written extensively on this blog about mining in Alaska.  That is both good and bad.  I am on record, and can only plead that it is only fools and dead men who do not change their mind.  So I reserve the right to change any of my past opinions as I prepare the course materials.  As noted in the posting below, I changed my mind on some profound matters this morning as a result of a late-night session last night. 

My request is that if you have any materials, advice, opinions, caveats, or comments that would help me make the course more valuable and relevant. please get them to me.  Thanks, and maybe come join us in that most beautiful of cities, Juneau.