ALASKA—The Alaska Region hosted four visitors from the Greenland Ministry of Mineral Resources and Justice on Sept. 8 at the Juneau Ranger Station for a question-and-answer session with Deputy Regional Forester Chad VanOrmer, Hoonah and Admiralty District Ranger Michael Downs, and Alaska Region Minerals Program Manager Casey Loofbourrow.

The guests learned how mining operations work in the United States and how those practices can be applied in Greenland.

“I think it’s important for the Forest Service to transfer the knowledge it has to other countries that are developing their natural resources,” said VanOrmer. “Doing that knowledge transfer is something the agency has been very good at in helping other countries learn from our experience.”

Before arriving at the Juneau Ranger Station, the group visited the Greens Creek Mine on Admiralty Island, where they received a tour of the facilities. Days earlier, they were in Salt Lake City, Utah, touring the Rio Tinto Kennecott Mine.

The ministry officials shared that the information they were able to gather on the trip will assist them in running their own mining operations. Currently, Greenland is operating two small mines and the goal is to diversify their country’s revenue from primarily fishing and tourism.

“There’s hope that mineral resources will help Greenland create some more income,” said Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Mineral Resources and Justice Jørgen Hammeken-Holm. “We are here to learn and listen.”

Throughout the 1-hour-and-15-minute informational session, the Greenland delegation asked the Forest Service personnel about mining operations and regulatory practices as it relates to environmental challenges.

Downs shared his thoughts on why the Forest Service and the Greens Creek Mine work so well together. “Making sure we have a good relationship is the foundation for success in long-term compliance and regulatory issues,” he said. “It’s not just building trust with the mine itself; it’s also building trust with the public that we’re doing the right job to ensure the public interest is protected.”

The trip was coordinated by the U.S. Departments of State and the Interior and included visitors from the United States government and Deloitte.

Following the group’s visit to Juneau, they headed up to Anchorage for meetings with representatives from the Bureau of Land Management Alaska State Office and United States Geological Survey Science Center. The next day, the group flew to Kotzebue, Alaska, and visited the Red Dog Mine.