SEG July 2016 Enews Update
The summer field season is gearing up, just as school winds down. Smithers Exploration Group provided a lot of support for various school trips in May and June, as well as helping to support Grade XII graduate Ryhs Wilson, pictured above, in his post-secondary plans. With the long hot days of summer upon us, take some time to check out the Bulkley Valley Museum’s mining display from the area’s past. Then it’s on to our annual golf tournament on Friday September 16 with registration the evening of the 15th.
SEG supports schools
Smithers Exploration Group has continued its support for students across the region, funding an annual bursary, presenting a prize at Pacific Northwest Science Fair and backing field trips taken by local students.
Ryhs Wilson from Smithers Senior Secondary School received a $500 bursary from SEG and $500 for the 2016 Minerals North Bursary that was sponsored by the Bulkley Valley Credit Union. Ryhs is going to BCIT for Business Management and would like to become a helicopter pilot. Ryhs received the top mark in the dual credit Environmental Monitor Assistant Program at the NWCC School of Exploration and Mining; he has worked in the industry; and his family is involved in the industry. Congratulations Rhys. In the photo above Cathy Taekema from the BV Credit Union on the right and Judi L’Orsa from the Minerals North Committee present Rhys with one of his bursaries.
Besides its bursary support, SEG sponsors annual school trips thanks to the Outreach funding provided by the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME). This year’s trips include:
- Telkwa Elementary in Telkwa - 35 students grades 5 to 7 - $80 to go to Minerals Rock
- Twain Sullivan Elementary in Houston - 55 students grades 5 to 7 - $200 to go to Minerals Rock
- Bulkley Valley Christian School in Smithers - 25 Grade 10 students - $500 to go Barkerville
- Houston Senior Secondary School - 4 students - Minerals North - $66.56
- Walnut Park Elementary in Smithers- 24 grade 5 students - $147 Duthie Mine Tour
The Pacific Northwest Science Fair took place in April in Smithers and SEG judged and awarded the Earth Science Prize. The 2016 winner had a project that used the microbial film in swamps to produce power which could have future applications for remote job sites as well as it using common mined materials like copper and graphite.
Annual SEG golf tournament
September 16
Don’t forget about SEG’s annual golf tournament and banquet in Smithers on Friday September 16 at the Smithers Golf and Country Club. Registration will be on Thursday evening September 15. Details on the golf tournament and field trip will be included in the September newsletter and on the website as soon as everything is in place.
Bulkley Valley Museum Exhibit
Mining the Northwest
Mining history runs deep in the Bulkley Valley and the team at the Bulkley Valley Museum have put together an exhibition that demonstrates that. Check it out this summer.
In the early 1900s, placer miners came by sternwheeler and pack horse, seeking gold and other resources like those found in the Cariboo and the Yukon. The influx of Euro-Canadian miners brought both opportunity and conflict to the First Nations peoples who have lived here since time immemorial.
The building of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad through the Bulkley Valley in 1913 provided an improved means to transport people, equipment, and ore. Hardworking mining men and women helped form the fabric of communities like Smithers. Though independent and self-reliant, these miners also worked together for common causes, forming groups like the Smithers Miners and Prospector’s Association to promote their interests in the broader political landscape of the province.
Mining has been a part of the Bulkley Valley’s cultural fabric for over 100 years. This exhibit focuses on the early twentieth century: a time when fortunes were won and lost.
Phone: 250-847-5322
email: info@bvmuseum.com
Access Payments Demanded
AME Challenges the Practice
In case some readers are not aware, the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) is publicly opposing access payments being demanded by some First Nations for access to exploration work sites that have been fully permitted by the government following due consultation with First Nations. The following documents will bring you up to date:
