Nevada Mining News – March 2015
Industry Note from NVMA President, Dana Bennett
A Nevada historian by training, I am endlessly fascinated by the
complex history of our great state. With a simultaneous interest in
public policy, my career started in the Nevada Legislature, serving as
the Staff Director for the Public Lands Committee for nearly a
decade. After working with Governor Sandoval’s Office of Economic
Development as the Northern Nevada Regional Director, I accepted
the role of the President of the Nevada Mining Association in
December of last year.
The challenges facing Nevada’s mining industry in 2015 are many.
With recent decreases in commodity prices and the concurrent rise
in extraction costs, Nevada’s mining industry is not as economically
robust as it was just a few short years ago. Last year, mining was the
only major economic sector in Nevada that suffered job losses.
As we are well into another legislative session, education is again at the forefront of discussion, and
reform proposals will directly affect our industry. Mining is Nevada’s original and most enduring STEM
industry; we consist of high-tech companies, offering good jobs for skilled workers. Our kids attend
Nevada’s schools, and our future employees will graduate from those schools. We are strongly
committed to helping to ensure that Nevada’s education system is the very best.
Mining helped build Nevada, and the industry continues to be a significant component of the state’s
economy. Despite recent setbacks, mining will be a shining part of Nevada’s future. So while 2015 may
bring its challenges, whether they are in the form of an unpredictable legislative session or difficult
economic circumstances, there is nobody I would rather face them with than Nevada’s miners.
- Dana Bennett
Tonopah Historic Mining Park Restoration
The Mizpah Head Frame stands as a sentinel over the Town of
Tonopah and as a symbol of the robust mining industry of a
hundred years ago. It is one of several iconic structures at the
Tonopah Historic Mining Park (THMP).
The Mizpah in 1914. Coutesy of UNLV Digital
Collections.
The Nevada Division of Minerals recently lent a camera to
provide a 360-degree view of the shaft that revealed nearpristine conditions. It appeared as if the last mining shift had
left an hour ago, not 100 years ago.
However, over the years, each of the 100-plus wooden sets going down the Mizpah’s 500-foot shaft has
settled, according to a 2014 study of the structure, resulting in the need to restore and stabilize the
significant structure.
The THMP Foundation is currently seeking donations toward the rehabilitation of this iconic structure.
Atkinson Construction is willing to do the work at a significant discount, and the Foundation is nearly
60% of the way to its fund-raising goal. Hopefully, the restored Mizpah will once again be available for
safety training; as such, it stands as a monument to both the past and the future of underground mining
in Nevada.
For more information on how you can contribute, please contact Headframe Restoration Committee
Chair Steve Tibbals at stibbals@wmca.net or Foundation member Bill Wahl at
williamwahl@hotmail.com or Foundation Chair Ann Carpenter at ann.carpenter57@gmail.com
Restoration is scheduled to begin May 1.
Southern Nevada Teachers’ Workshop
The Nevada Mining Association and Nevada Division of Minerals will team up to host the 26 th annual
Earth Science Teachers Workshop for educators in Southern Nevada on Tuesday, March 31 and
Wednesday, April 1 at Faith Lutheran High School. The workshop is free of charge and open to K-12
teachers, and attendees can receive one Professional Development Education credit.
The first day of the workshop will focus on seminars and methods of teaching earth science to specific
grade ranges. The seminars, presented by experts from institutions like the Nevada Bureau of Mines and
Geology and the Nevada Division of Minerals, will include feature such topics as Edible Geology,
Extraction: What’s in the cereal you eat? and Introduction to Mapping and Geocaching.
On the second day, teachers will have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers in the mining and
minerals industry, including Rob Ghiglieri, chief of the Nevada Division of Minerals’ Abandoned Mine
Lands Program, and NVMA President Bennett. The workshop will wrap up with a tour of various mine
locations and points of interest in Southern Nevada, including Lost City Museum and the McCaw School
of Mines.
The sessions will start at 7 a.m., and end at 5:30 p.m. Registration can be completed online at:
http://www.nevadamining.org.
Meet Your Miners
At NVMA, we continue our “Meet Your Miners” series, introducing readers to the various individuals
who make our industry so special. We have seen a great response from our readers and appreciate
everyone taking the time to understand, acknowledge and appreciate the individuals that make this
industry what it is.
We met Michael Eiselein, who works as a process manager at Barrick Goldstrike and has been in the
mining industry for 23 years. His career began with a football scholarship to Montana Technical
University, where his excellence in math and science seemed to predestinate his future!
Andrew Heinemann, who works as a mine engineer and geologist at California-based Benchmark
Resources, shared his off-the-clock passion for sprint cycling. His favorite bike movie? E.T.
Jason Ashby keeps it all in the family. The regional manager of Joy Global is following in the footsteps of
previous generations of Elko miners, while encouraging his son to study mining as he enters college.
Likewise, 29-year industry veteran Phillip Sledge is a third-generation miner. Having spent 14 years
directly in mines, Sledge transitioned to a career as a supplier of products and services.
We invite you to be a part of our series and share your story with us at info@nevadamining.com.
McCaw School of Mines – 18t Annual Fiesta & Auction
Saturday, April 18 – 6 p.m. – Henderson Convention Center
More than 90,000 students have toured the McCaw School of Mines over the past 19 years. No other
field trip in the valley is offered completely free of charge to all public school fourth grade students.
The day to day operation of the mine and maintenance of the mine facilities is done by part-time
employees and 35 to 40 outstanding volunteers.
They need your help to keep the tours free and
the facility in top shape. The annual dinner and
auction is their major fund raiser for the year. You
can help by buying a table, purchasing auction
items, sponsoring auction items, donating auction
items or purchasing raffle tickets at the dinner.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
ALSO: McCaw is looking for participants and
sponsors for their golf tournament to be held at 8
a.m. (registration from 6L30 – 7:30 a.m.) on
Saturday, April 18 at Boulder Creek Golf Club.
For information on how you can get involved, please call 702-799-3546. Reservations must be made by
April 6 and attire is casual/fiesta-festive!
Nevada Copper
Members of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development joined NVMA staff members on a tour of
Nevada Copper’s Pumpkin Hollow project on Friday, March 6. The Pumpkin Hollow project is in its
advanced exploration phase and is targeted to start producing copper this year. The location of the new
mine, with both underground and open pit mining, is in the Mason Valley just east of Yerington in Lyon
County, which has a long history of copper mining.
Coming Up!
The next issue of the NvMA newsletter, which will be distributed in mid-April, will provide an update on
mining topics under consideration at the 2015 session of the Nevada Legislature.
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