Minerals are only part of Alaska’s natural resources, which is why the annual special section has grown to encompass other industries beyond mining. The pages within contain coverage of oil and gas, fisheries, timber, and tourism, yet mineral development remains at the core.
Now that Manh Choh has joined the other six mines in active production, readers can familiarize themselves with the industry with a set of trading cards. In addition to the seven on the roster, more mines are in the developmental leagues, so to speak. One of those projects in the advanced exploration phase is Graphite Creek; in baseball terms, it’s in the Double-A level, preparing to advance to Triple-A before joining the majors.
An example of a Single-A project, then, is Nikolai, a prospect near Paxson. Greg Beischer of Alaska Energy Metals is leading the exploration for nickel and other metals there, hoping to bring Nikolai to the big leagues.
