On behalf of the Cariboo Miners Association I would like to welcome all visitors to our new site.

The CMA is made up of a diversity of people who come from all levels of mining yet we equally share the same enthusiasm when it comes to digging for gold.

Most miners are basically solitary sorts who want to simply carry on with mining but of course we realize that we’re also dependent upon each other for support when it comes to dealing with the different challenges now facing our industry.

In this regard I believe there is strength in numbers.

The Cariboo Mining Association was formed in order to deal with the special problems that miners face as well as provide a common ground where we can meet to share ideas and concerns and work out solutions to our problems. In this way we learn from each other and stand strong together as an intelligent, co-operative force.

Miners, for a variety of reasons, have always been an industrious group; men and women filled with a deep passion for what they do and the will to succeed.

Inevitably though, as the mining industry continues to grow and flourish so does government and its attendant bureaucracy. For miners, be they placer or hard rock, this means having to meet greater demands that all the various levels of government place upon us.

The provincial government, while it freely receives significant monies in acquisition and tenure maintenance, still tends to underestimate the miner’s actual contributions to the province as well as the local communities in which the mining industry actively operates. As such governments tend to overlook how the smaller mining operations actually stimulate the local economy in so many ways – some obvious examples being the purchasing of fuel, equipment, supplies, as well as providing jobs and contributing in significant ways to the local tax base.

For these reasons and many more the CMA has proven itself to be a useful and valuable organization and we look ahead to the future with a growing sense of optimism that continues to rise along with the price of the commodity that drives both our purpose and our work ethic.

I would also like to bring to the attention of the public the fact that the CMA holds regular monthly meetings in Quesnel, usually on the second Sunday of each month during the winter season at the Senior’s Center. During the Summer on the second Tuesday in the evenings for a full schedule just send us an e-mail and we will let you know when our next meeting is. I would encourage people to come and join us for lively discussions and to learn more current information about government changes to the mining regulations. Share with other miners the ideas, stories and experiences that have made our industry one of the most colourful and historically interesting areas of employment in the province.

As President of the CMA I am enthusiastic about where we are heading and confident that our membership will continue to grow. We have the responsibility to ensure that mining continues for generations to come, while at the same time respecting and sustaining our environment so that all can prosper, now and into the future.

Rick Wittner

CMA

President

Email Rick at: cariboominingassociation@hotmail.com