Snip adept at juggling logistics of operating in rugged northern B.

The new Snip gold mine operated of Cominco (TSE) in the Iskut River camp of northwestern British Columbia is a case study in juggling the logistics of an isolated location.

It’s a fly-in, fly-out situation where we bring the men in and out,” said Bruce Switzer, director of environmental affairs.

Materials are brought in by water transport, including the company’s hovercraft.

Some of the gold produced on site comes from a gravity circuit, but most is contained within concentrates that are hauled by hovercraft to Wrangell, Alaska, and then to other destinations for final processing. Cominco is playing it environmentally safe at the site. The Snip mine is not using a cyanide leaching process, pointed out Switzer, a zoologist who recently filled the new Cominco environmental affairs slot.

Such newly created positions, both in mining and other resource industries, is a growing acknowledgement by the mining industry that meeting new environmental standards is a necessary yet complex issue.

Switzer’s mandate is to implement Cominco environmental policy and, he said, “staying current with environmental concerns and regulations and ensuring we are in compliance with these.”