with Alaska’s clean coal. It’s one of the great stories that we try to tell in this magazine. You’ll often see on our covers the multiple generations of families who have grown and worked for decades together in Alaska mining. On the cover of this issue, you will see father and son Dale and Jacob Mattila, who have worked together at Usibelli Coal Mine since 2010. Last issue, our cover was Danny Twitchell and his daughter Betty, who work together at the Donlin Gold Project. And our spring covered featured a number of the amazing women who work together at Kinross Alaska’s Fort Knox Gold Mine. It’s often been said that a team, whether on an athletic field or on the field of battle, fights for each other more than for any lofty goal or trophy or victory. It’s for each other, for you, that we do what we do every day at AMA. We are stronger together. I can’t wait to see you in Anchorage! Deantha Skibinski AMA Executive Director Dear Alaska Miners, Ready for a reunion? Our Alaska Miner family gets together often but it’s always our annual convention each fall that feels like a family reunion. The rest of the year we are so busy, whether in the field, underground or in the Legislature, moving paperwork or moving dirt, that it’s hard to stay connected. And yet we do, come together, whenever there’s a need, a new challenge, a new opportunity. So yes, we are family. Like families everywhere, we are stronger together and apart. That doesn’t mean we don’t disagree among ourselves and don’t root for the same football teams or share the same favorite ways of fishing! But when the chips are down, we know who we can count on. We also believe in taking care of our future generations of miners, which has never been more important. If you look amongst us, you’ll see more miners nearing the end of our careers than at the beginning. Mining in Alaska is a great career! With a great future. That’s why our convention committee decided our 2023 convention theme should “Miners For Generations!” Many of us grew up in times when jobs were hard to come by and did not pay that well. By comparison, in our industry today, a young person without incurring a mountain of student debt or many years of college can begin a career earning well over $100,000 a year. That while living in Alaska and living the Alaska lifestyle, while knowing that they are contributing to a critical part of our state’s and nation’s economy. We all have a stake in recruiting and training this next generation of miners. At AMA, we’re trying to do our part with network events like Tuesday night’s event “Unearthing Tomorrow’s Leaders” here at the annual convention. We’re also “fishing where they are” by networking on every platform available to us, from the magazine you’re reading to social media to email to job boards, all to let young people both inside and outside Alaska know about the opportunities within our member companies in Specialists. Together with our partners at AK Metal Mines formally known as the Council of Alaska Producers, we are also embracing the need to educate all Americans, not just potential workers, about the critical work we do in current and future technologies, including renewable energy and in national defense, but also in reminding about the stability of dispatchable energy Executive Director’s Report Fall 2023 The Alaska Miner 1 Please see complete AMA Convention coverage on Pages 26-40 and visit our website at AlaskaMiners.org for more information.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==