April 17, 2012
Volume 14 - Issue 3

 

Inside AME BC

  • AME BC Exploration Days at Britannia Mine Museum April 19-21
  • AME BC 20th Annual Charity Golf Tournament
  • President's Message - 2012 - Q1
  • AME BC Health and Safety Survey
  • Into the Mountains - AME BC's 100th Anniversary Book
  • The Club AME BC Affinity Program
  • New and Existing Corporate Member List
  • AME BC and Chartered Financial Analysts Vancouver Mining Essentials Short Course

Mineral Exploration News

  • BC Mining Week
  • Canadian Blood Services Exploration & Mining Challenge 2012 
Geoscience BC News
  • Geoscience BC Report 2012-09 "Horn River Basin Aquifer Characterization Project Phase 2: Geological Report"
  • Geoscience BC and BC Geological Survey Announce Digital Archive of Regional Geochemical Survey (RGS) Maps
  • Geoscience BC Releases Three Reports from the QUEST-Northwest Project

In Memoriam

Employment Opportunities
Courses & Education
Upcoming Events and Conferences

Inside AME BC

AME BC Exploration Days at Britannia Mine Museum April 19-21

2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia. Exploration Days at Britannia Mine Museum will display what mineral exploration involves and how it is important for mining, and ultimately our daily lives.

Interactive activities will show what life as a mineral explorer is like and how modern techniques such as geological mapping, core sampling, and how environmental monitoring have led to the evolution of responsible exploration.

Explore the full life cycle of a mine - from early stage geoscience research through exploration through production and ultimately to reclamation.  

Where: Britannia Mine Museum 

When: April 19-21 9am - 5pm 

AME BC members check your email for your $10 off coupon for discounted admission to Britannia during Exploration Days. 


AME BC 20th Annual Charity Golf Tournament - Player registration now open

20th Annual AME BC Charity Golf Tournament
  
Join us for the 20th Annual AME BC Charity Golf Tournament on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club in Richmond.  General player registration opened on Monday, April 16th!  This event will sell out, so be sure to register early to reserve your spot!
                            
And a special thank you to those who have already committed to sponsor the tournament!  Door Prize ($500) and Hole ($300) sponsorships are still available.  Sign up this week to be included in the on-course signage!  All sponsorship proceeds will be donated to the Mineral Resources Education Program of BC (MREPBC). Contact Simone (604-630-3924) to reserve a sponsor space. 

View sponsorship opportunities here

For more information on the tournament, contact Simone Hill at shill@amebc.ca

President's Message - 2012 - Q1

As many of you know, AME BC celebrates its 100th anniversary on April 23, 2012. The theme of “Celebrating our First Century of Global Discovery” at Mineral Exploration Roundup 2012 gave us the opportunity to reflect on how AME BC – the industry, and BC as a whole – have evolved over the past century. Today, the word is out that British Columbia is a great place to headquarter your company and to look for, and develop, new mineral deposits. There are now more than 1,200 mineral exploration and mining companies based in the province. And with $463 million spent in 2011, last year made history as a record breaker for mineral exploration expenditures in BC. The record 8,320 participants at Roundup also demonstrate that British Columbia is indeed a centre of excellence for global mineral exploration and development.

As we prepare for the May 2013 provincial election, and as your industry advocacy association, AME BC will focus on three areas in 2012 to help make BC an even better place to “explore for more”. The first, and most fundamental area, is the issue of having access to land to explore, discover and develop mineral resources. To support this, AME BC will be developing and widely sharing information that shows the actual impact of land use designations in the province. We will also lead discussions with government about issues such as the proposed Natural Resources Roads Act and fair market value compensation for tenure holders where parks or de-facto parks are created.


Into the Mountains – AME BC’s 100th Anniversary Book – Members Order your Complimentary Copy

The late Chuck Davis’s book Into the Mountains, chronicling 100 years of AME BC and its role in mineral exploration and mining, will be going to the printers soon and will be released this summer. Roundup delegates were given the opportunity to order a copy through the registration form; if you are a 2012 AME BC member and have not ordered your complimentary copy for pickup at AME BC email info@amebc.ca with your name, company, phone number and email, with subject line “Into the Mountains Book”. 

If you would like any additional copies, or you are not currently an AME BC member the the book will sell for $32.95 plus HST once it is printed.


Fill out the AME BC's Health and Safety Survey - and Enter to Win an ipod Touch

AME BC and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) are conducting the 7th annual Canadian Mineral Exploration Health & Safety Survey for exploration work conducted in 2011. We are seeking your input to help plan safety programs and work toward a goal of zero fatalities and incidents with lost time.

Individuals filling out the safety survey by the deadline of May 18 will be entered into a draw to win a 32GB iPod Touch courtesy of Hy-Tech Drilling. 
Click here for the online survey or to download the .pdf form.


Club AME BC Affinity Program

The Club AME BC Affinity program is brought to you by the Association for Mineral Exploration BC. This program is designed to provide you with valuable insider discounts on the products and services you want and need. Offers can be redeemed in a variety of ways - online, in-store and by phone. Go to amebc.intrd.com to find out more. 

If you have any questions about how to use this program please email amebc@intrd.com. If you would like to provide feedback on this program, email Roxanne Finnie at rfinnie@amebc.ca. 

AME BC Corporate Members - Welcome & Thank You!

AME BC would like to welcome our new corporate members for 2012 and thank our returning members. Your support is greatly appreciated. 

Click here to view a list of our current corporate members


AME BC and Chartered Financial Analysts Vancouver Mining Essentials Short Course Presented by Dr. Robert Stevens

Friday June 8 & Saturday June 9 in Vancouver
Friday June 15 & June 16 in Toronto

Registration information coming soon... 

Mineral Exploration News     


BC Mining Week Community Fair

Join AME BC and MREPBC at the 5th annual BC Mining Week Community Fair at the Creekside Community Centre on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

This free community fair is organized annually to share information with the general public on the relevance and importance of rocks and minerals and mining in everyday life. There will be displays and hands-on activities from industry groups, exploration and mining companies, government agencies, and schools.

Nearly 350 elementary students are expected to attend the BC Mining Week Community Fair this year. And we are looking for volunteers to lead or assist with  hands-on learning activities and/or to interact with our student guests. All required background information and materials are provided. All stations require 2 or more people.

If you are available and would like to help, please phone Sheila Stenzel, Director, Mineral Resources Education Program of BC at 604-681-4321 x 115 or email stenzel@bcminerals.ca by Friday, March 30, 2012. Please include “BCMWCF Volunteer” on the subject line.

Volunteers are needed for the following activities:

  • Gold Panning with Yukon Dan – manage line-ups and help guests successfully pan for gold
  • Mineral Exploration – man exploration tent, adorned in exploration attire and gear to talk with visitors about exploration; GPS demo (if you have one) 
  • Geological Mapping – guide small groups of students through a mapping activity and help them interpret and colour in their resulting geologic map
  • Creekside geotour – lead small groups of students around the area to look at rocks used in and around the site (to help reinforce compositions, textures to identify the three types of rocks and rock-forming processes)
  • Mineral Identification – help students make and record observations on the properties of an unknown mineral (small sample they can keep) and identify it
  • Fossil Making - assist lead instructor in helping students create fossils using organic materials and clay
  • Stump the Geologist – look at samples guests have brought in, engage them in conversation about the sample properties, and help identify how it formed and what it is called
  • Mine site reclamation – review mining impacts and lead discussion (with model) on what reclamation entails; assist groups preparing mini tailings reclamation plot to take away
  • Mining Math – assist guests in doing basic and important mining-related calculations
  • Minerals in Everyday Life - man the mineral product displays tent, engage guests in conversation about our everyday tie to minerals, help students complete learning activities in their Treasure Hunt booklet.  
Positions requiring no geological background:

  • Face Painting – 10:00am-2:00pm (artistic abilities an asset)
  • Set up Fair helper – 7:00-10:00am, help all guests unload and set up displays.
  • Fair take-down helper – 3:00-4:00pm - help all guests tear down and load up displays.

Still time left! Canadian Blood Services Exploration & Mining Challenge 2012 

The Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC) together with Canadian Blood Services is looking forward to the launch of the seventh annual Exploration & Mining Challenge during the month of April. This is the seventh year that AME BC has collaborated with Canadian Blood Services on the challenge, and over the past six years, the mineral exploration and mining community has donated 372  units of blood during the month of April. For 2012, our target is 100 donations, with the potential to save up to 300 hundred lives. 
  
Here are a few highlights of the importance of blood in our daily lives: 
  
  • BC is a net importer of blood.  BC does not have enough donors giving blood to meet local hospital needs. 
  • Only 2.7% of eligible British Columbians donate on a regular basis, lower than the national average. 
  • The average amount of blood in one person is five litres. 
  • The minimum time between whole blood donations is 56 days. 
Every minute of every day, in communities across Canada, someone needs blood.

Participating is easy and fun! To join the Mining Community Challenge, there are just three simple steps: 

1.        Register your team with Canadian Blood Services: 
           Simply send us an email or give us a call and you’re registered!  Call or email
          Stephanie Herger with Canadian Blood Services at 604.707.3440 or
          stephanie.herger@blood.ca 

2.        Pick a team captain to lead the campaign: 
           Promote the challenge to co-workers, friends and family members with tools
         and resources supplied by us – emailers, posters, flyers and lunch ‘n learn 
          sessions. 

3.        Rally your community to donate blood on behalf of your organization: 
           Book appointments in one of two ways: 
           Individual appointments at blood.ca or 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-2683). 
           Group appointments through your local Partnership Specialist. We can even
          provide round-trip transportation to your local blood donor clinic! 

Then, track your donation by signing the challenge sheet at the front desk when you check-in for your blood donation appointment. 

By participating in this challenge, you’re guaranteed to make a difference in your community by SAVING LIVES! Every donation is used to treat hospital patients in need, right here in B.C. Blood recipients include cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, car accident victims, even newborn babies. 
  
We hope you will rise to this challenge and encourage your staff, family, and friends to donate blood during April. 


Geoscience BC News   


Geoscience BC Report 2012-09 "Horn River Basin Aquifer Characterization Project Phase 2: Geological Report"

Geoscience BC is pleased to announce the release of Geoscience BC Report 2012-09 "Horn River Basin Aquifer Characterization Project Phase 2: Geological Report". This report is now available for download from www.geosciencebc.com/s/DataReleases.asp.

This research was funded through Phase 2 of the collaborative Horn River Basin Water Study, which is undertaking baseline research on water resources in the Horn River Basin. In addition to the deep saline aquifer study released today, Phase 2 work includes three-year study of surface water sources (ongoing), and an airborne electromagnetic geophysical survey pilot project (released earlier this month as Geoscience BC Report 2012-04). 

The Horn River Basin Aquifer Project is supported by Geoscience BC and the Horn River Basin Producers Group. The Horn River Basin Producers Group consists of 11 of the companies involved in the Horn River play, namely: Apache Canada Ltd., ConocoPhillips, Devon Canada Corp., Encana, EOG Resources Canada, Imperial Oil Resources/ExxonMobil Canada, Nexen Inc., Pengrowth, Suncor, Quicksilver, and Stone Mountain Resources. The purpose of the group is to facilitate cooperation and communication between major industry players, key stakeholders and First Nations in the area.

For more information on Phases 1 and 2 of the Horn River Basin Aquifer Project, go to: www.geosciencebc.com/s/HornRiverBasin.asp.
 

Geoscience BC and BC Geological Survey Announce Digital Archive of Regional Geochemical Survey (RGS) Maps

Geoscience BC and the BC Geological Survey are pleased to announce that hardcopy maps showing sample locations for the Regional Geochemical Surveys (RGS) in BC have been scanned and digitally archived. In total, 875 maps are indexed and archived as "RGS Maps" collection in the Property File, accessible to the public at http://propertyfile.gov.bc.ca. This work is the result of a joint effort by the BC Geological Survey and Geoscience BC. 

The RGS program in BC started in the 1970s and over the last 40 years has involved the Geological Survey of Canada, the BC Geological Survey, Geoscience BC and contractors. The original hardcopy maps used to locate the sample sites range in map scales from 1:250,000 to 1:50,000, and were stored in Ottawa, Victoria and other locations. While effort was made to archive the original hardcopy maps, other sources were retrieved and digitized if the original maps were not available. These secondary sources include the hardcopy maps used in the field, as well as Mylar and consolidated maps with transcribed sample locations.

The digital archive of the RGS maps not only helps to preserve this important source of data, but also makes these maps accessible to the public. These maps can be used to validate exact sample locations, within the context of streams and other geographic features shown on the original topographic maps used during sample collection. This is especially important at locations where streams have changed course over time, or where the streams shown on the original topographic map at a smaller scale do not match up with the streams shown on a more recent topographic map at a large scale. Errors may also be introduced when transcribing and transferring sample locations into the database.

Geoscience BC Releases Three Reports from the QUEST-Northwest Project

Geoscience BC is pleased to announce the release of the following three reports:
  • Geoscience BC Report 2012-05: QUEST Northwest Sample Reanalysis (ICP-MS)
  • Geoscience BC Report 2012-06: QUEST Northwest Sample Reanalysis (INAA)
  • Geoscience Report 2012-08 / BCGS Open File 2012-04: Dease Lake -- Little Tuya River Geology, NTS 104J/ 08 & 07E

All three reports are now available for download through Geoscience BC's website at: www.geosciencebc.com/s/DataReleases.asp

All three reports present new information collected as part of the QUEST-Northwest Project. The QUEST-Northwest Project includes two regional airborne magnetic surveys (released as Geoscience BC Reports 2012-02 and -03 in January), regional bedrock mapping, and a regional ground geochemical program. For more information on the QUEST-Northwest Project, go to http://www.geosciencebc.com/s/Quest-Northwest.asp.

Lisle Thomas Jory
1924-2012 

Lisle began his professional career as a geologist for Eldorado Nuclear, and worked at Great Bear Lake and Eldorado Beaverlodge properties, both underground and in exploration. After 10 years in the mineral industry, he accepted a new challenge as Sr. Engineering Geologist on the WAC Bennett Dam. With his family, he made his home in many places in North America, from the Port Radium mine at the Arctic Circle, to southern California; and in both Eastern and Western Canada, finally settling in Vancouver in 1966, where he joined the consulting firm of Dolmage, Campbell and Assoc. His work as a geological engineer took him around the world. He consulted on major power projects for the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in Asia and Africa, as well as mining projects in Europe and North and South America. In retirement, his computer and his geneology research provided him with many happy hours

Read full obituary here

Employment Opportunities


Want to Post an Ad on the AME BC Job Board?

If you are an employer and would like to post a job, use the post a job function here. The cost for each posting is $200, which will remain active for 45 days. AME BC corporate members receive one free posting with a yearly membership or renewal, with all subsequent postings at a 50% member discounted rate.

 

To use your free posting, please email the complete job posting information to info@amebc.ca. To use your subsequent 50% discount, simply make sure you are logged in and let the payment calculator do the rest.

Courses & Education

 

AME BC’s tradition of education for the mineral exploration sector dates back to 1918, when it held its first prospecting seminar. Since then, thousands of students have received training in prospecting, mineral exploration, health and safety, and aboriginal engagement through AME BC. Click here to view AME BC’s Education and Professional Development section.


Other Professional Development Opportunities

Several of AME BC’s Corporate Members have professional development programs geared toward our diverse membership. Current offerings are available here

Upcoming Events & Conferences

AME BC helps to facilitate and promote external events that benefit our members. Use this calendar to see what events are on the horizon and get detailed information.

AME BC Events Calendar

External Event Calendar

 

AME BC News is a newsletter released by the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia. Please send any suggestions, news, or ideas for articles to Jasmine Beaudin, Manager, Communications:

800-889 W. Pender St.
Vancouver, BC V6C 3B2
Tel. 604.630.3925 Fax: 604.681.2363
jbeaudin@amebc.ca