As mayor of Juneau, Alaska I extend my congratulations to the communities of Troy, Libby, Noxon, Thompson Falls and the surrounding area. You are fortunate to have a company like Hecla Mining coming to your region.
The Greens Creek Mine has been a stalwart of the Juneau economy since the late 1980s. Hecla has been involved with the project since 1987 and became 100 percent owners in 2008. The Greens Creek Mine means more than 800 direct and indirect jobs for the Southeast Alaska economy and more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in economic impact in just the last five years alone.
Greens Creek Mine is an underground silver mine located in a truly unique location. The mine is on Admiralty Island, operates within the Tongass National Forest and partially in the Admiralty Island National Monument – and is adjacent to the Kootznoowoo Wilderness. Kootznoowoo means “fortress of the bears,” and the mine was carefully designed, constructed and is being operated to coexist with the highest population density of brown bears in North America. In addition, the mine operates in harmony with all five species of Pacific salmon, along with rich summer feeding grounds for whales offshore. I’m confident the Hecla team will bring this successful experience and lessons learned to address all reasonable concerns related to protection of bears and fish in Northwest Montana’s Kootenai National Forest.
While the company is committed to operating the mine in an environmentally responsible manner, Hecla’s long standing involvement in the community has been perhaps the company’s greater quality. The men and women working at Hecla are active participants in the Juneau business community, civic associations, education and elected governmental roles. They are integral to the community and their passion and professionalism makes Juneau an even better place to call home. We are very fortunate to have them in our community and know you too will find them to become a key part of your community once the Rock Creek project is successfully permitted.
Merrill Sanford, mayor
Juneau, Alaska