NLA COMMUNIQUE

Senior landmen tell me that this mineral industry downturn is the deepest since the 1970’s. Why so deep? There appear to be three major and many secondary factors. Low commodity prices, increased regulations and a lack of recent discoveries head my list.

Commodity prices have been firming over the past month as measured by various broadly based commodity indexes. This firming has been lead by an increase in oil prices. The "Asian Economic Flu" is exhibiting late stage symptoms. Latin America is a mixed bag; Chile’ is in dire straits as a large percentage of its economy is linked to Copper, the rest of Latin America is in better shape. The United States economy is going strong and expanding. Taken as a group the continued resurgence of these economies should be bullish for metal prices.

Increased regulations are both bad and good news. The increases in permitting time, lands closed to exploration, and increased difficulty in gaining final closure all weigh heavily on exploration decisions. In the long run I am hopeful that these regulations will put an end to unacceptable mining practices by "Black Sheep Mining Outfits". The mineral industries will be a part of the 21st century, to be viewed as a responsible component by the general public would be a watershed event.

Who will make the next big discovery? Only time will tell. My money is on an aggressive exploration geologist backed by a company with the management, capital and resources to bite the bullet and turn the drills.

Most of these factors are out of our hands. So, what can we do? At the minimum we can submit our statements regarding the rewritten 43 CFR 3809 Regulations. The closing date is May 10, 1999. The address is:

Bureau of Land Management, Administrative Record

Nevada State Office
P.O. Box 12000
Reno, Nevada 89520-0006

MALRI "2000"
MINING AND LAND RESOURCE INSTITUTE

The Mining and Land Resource Institute has a tentative date of March 16-17, 2000. Your assistance with possible speakers and topics is appreciated. Volunteers for this fine group can give me a call at:

-work 352-3116
-home 747-4687
-email gelandman@aol.com

-Greg Ekins - Chairman
-Ed Jackson - Co-Chair
-Margie Winsel-Boorda & Tim Wilder - Publicity
-Tom Roesch & Tracy Guinand - Raffle
-Mike Franzen, Roger Gash, Deborah Goetz, Bill Houston, Bob Johnson, Suzie Mason, and Gordon Peake.

The next NLA meeting is Friday May 21st at Rutherford’s ol south, see you then.

All the Best; Greg Ekins

President Nevada Landmen’s Association 1999

It’s almost past that time of the year to renew your membership in the Nevada Landmen’s Association. Renewals will be accepted up until May 15, 1999 in order to get the Membership Directory out in early June, 1999. If you have already renewed your membership ignore this message and give yourself a pat on the back!

 
When you come to the next meeting, be ready to discuss the following:

The annual highway clean-up day is coming in June. More specifically, the Nevada Landmen’s Association’s highway clean-up on Geiger Grade is Saturday June 5, 1999. Volunteers are appreciated and the fun starts at 9:00 am at the same location as years past.

How did you like receiving the newsletter over the internet? Please let Doug Hirschman know if it came through okay and if you had any problems.

Please note the date of the upcoming NLA Picnic in August. This year’s chairman of the picnic committee is Cy Wylsey and volunteers are wanted! The date of the picnic is Saturday August 14, 1999. Since this is the last newsletter until September, please note the date on your calenders. A reminder will be sent out in late July or early August.

What about a web page for NLA?

Please come with your comments and opinions so that NLA can address this issue and make a decision.