Minnesota's Iron &
Cu-Ni-PGE Resources:

A Workshop for Investors

April 23-25, 2008
Duluth, Minnesota

Registration Deadline:    Friday, April 18, 2008

Download pdf copy of the:

Information Circular
w/ Registration Form

Registration Form Only

Workshop Information:                      SPONSORS:

About the Workshop

Workshop Schedule

Workshop Presenters

Registration Fees and Deadlines

About Duluth

Air and Ground Transportation

Hotel Accommodations

More Information

The workshop is designed to educate the investment community on Minnesota’s vast Duluth Complex Cu-Ni-PGE resources as well as on new developments in Minnesota’s iron mining industry. The Cu-Ni-PGE resources (Fig. 3) are currently being actively exploredand/or are in the process of permitting by PolyMet Mining (NorthMet deposit), Teck-Cominco (Mesaba deposit), Franconia Minerals (Birch Lake, Maturi and Spruce Road deposits), Duluth Metals Limited (Nokomis deposit), and Encampment Resources (South Filson Creek Prospect). The value, at today’s metal prices, of the published resource estimates for these deposits (see Fig. 3) exceeds $258 billion dollars. The workshop will lead off with a day and a half of presentations and will conclude with optional field trips to the Department of Natural Resources drill core facility at Hibbing and a tour of the extensive mining along the Mesaba Iron Range. Opportunities to visit field offices of the active exploration programs will be arranged through the companies as part of the field excursion.

Participants of the workshop can expect to gain:
1) Knowledge of the Duluth Complex Cu-Ni-PGE ores and their hydrometallurgical processing
2) Understanding of the state of iron mining in Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range
3) Realization of the commitment of the State of Minnesota to see that natural resources are developed in an environmentally sound manner for the economic betterment of its citizens, as well as the country.

For more information about the content of the workshop, see the information circular.

Workshop Schedule

Participants should arrive in Duluth by the morning of Wednesday, April 23 (see hotel options below). Workshop presentations will begin at 12:30 at the Inn on Lake Superior in Canal Park, with a social hour and banquet to follow. After a morning of presentations on Thursday, April 24, the workshop will end at noon. Participants who have registered for the optional field trip will then board a coach bus for a tour of the United Taconite mine and pelletizing plant on the Mesabi Range near Eveleth. The day will end in Hibbing, where dinner and overnight lodging have been arranged. On Friday morning, April 25, participants will be given a tour of the Department of Natural Resources drill core facilities in Hibbing and will have an opportunity to view mineralized drill core from the Duluth Complex. The remainder of the morning will be spent visiting the field offices of exploration companies working Duluth Complex deposits. The bus will arrive back at Duluth at 2PM with a stop at the Duluth International Airport. A timetable of the schedule is as follows:

Wednesday PM, April 23 – Geology, Mineralization, and Processing of Cu-Ni-PGE and Taconite Ores
       8:00-1Location: Eagle Harbor Room , Inn on Lake Superior

Thursday AM, April 24– The Mining Business in Minnesota / Exploration Company Presentations
       8:00-1Location: Eagle Harbor Room, Inn on Lake Superior

Optional Field Trip

Jirsa, M.A., Chandler, V.W., and Lively, R.S., 2005, Bedrock geology of the Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota: Minnesota Geological Survey Miscellaneous Map M-163, scale 1:100,000.

• Dr. Don Fosnacht – Director, Center for Applied Research and Technology Development; Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth
  
• Dr. Jon Scoates – Mineral Expl. Consultant, retired from Manitoba Geol. Surv. and the Geol. Surv. of Canada
  
• Dr. Jim Miller – Associate Professor, Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth
  
• Mr. Mark Severson - Research Fellow, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth
• Dr. Dean Peterson – Senior Research Associate, Natural Resources Research Inst., University of Minnesota Duluth
• Dr. Cesar J. (Joe) Ferron – President, HydroProc Consultants
• Mr. Peter Clevenstine - Manager of Engineering & Mineral Development, MN Department of Natural Resources
  
• Mr. Daniel Colton - Attorney at Law; Leonard, Street and Deinard, Minneapolis, MN
  
• Mr. Frank Ongaro  – Executive Director, Mining Minnesota
  
• Mr. Marty Vadis – Director, Lands and Minerals Division; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
  
• Ms. Sandy Layman – Commissioner, Iron Range Resources; Minnesota State Government
  
  Exploration Company Representatives

• Mr. Brian Gavin – President & CEO, Franconia Minerals
• Dr. Henry (Rick) Sandri – President & CEO, Duluth Metals Limited
• Dr. Harry Noyes – President, Encampment Resources LLC

Download a registration form

Early Registration (postmarked on or before April 7)
                      $500 - Workshop-only
                      $650 - Workshop and Field Trip
Late Registration (postmarked after April 7)
                      $700 - Workshop-only
                      $850 - Workshop and Field Trip

Payable by check or money order* made out to: University of Minnesota Duluth

Mail registration form and check or money order to:

PRC Investor's Workshop
Precambrian Research Center
Natural Resources Research Institute, Rm 230
5013 Miller Trunk Hwy.
Duluth, MN 55811

* Sorry, we are not able to accept credit card charges at this time

The workshop-only fee includes:

• Copy of workshop program with abstracts
• Copy of all Powerpoint presentations on CD
• Banquet dinner Tuesday evening (4/23) at the Inn on Lake Superior
• Afternoon and morning coffee breaks during workshop

The workshop and field trip fee includes the above, plus:

• Copy of field excursion guide
• Field trip transportation by coach bus
• Lodging (double occupancy) at the Hibbing Park Hotel
• Dinner on Wednesday evening (2/24) at Zimmy's Bar and Grill in Hibbing
• Box lunchs and refreshments during field trip

Participants will be responsible for all other meals during their stay in Duluth, as well as their hotel accommodations in Duluth and transportation to and from Duluth.

Notice of acceptance and cancellation policy:

Upon receipt of completed registration form and full payment, a notice of acceptance will be sent.  No registrations will be accepted after Friday, April 18. This is also the deadline for a full registration fee refund. Our program obligations make it necessary to assess a charge equal to one-fourth of the registration fee for cancellations after April 18.  No course refund is possible after the course begins on April 23.

 

Duluth, the world’s largest freshwater inland port, is located at the western tip of Lake Superior, midway between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis / St. Paul and the Canadian border.  Nestled in the hills overlooking the largest of the Great Lakes, the city offers breathtaking scenery and serves as the gateway to abundant recreational opportunities.

Persons desiring additional information about Duluth can call the Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-4-DULUTH (438-5884) or visit their website at http://www.visitduluth.com/.
Persons desiring additional information about Minnesota can call the Minnesota Office of Tourism at 888-TOURISM (868-7476) or visit their website at http://www.exploreminnesota.com/.

Daily flights into Duluth International Airport are currently provided by Northwest Airlines, which has up eight flights daily arriving from Minneapolis-St. Paul and two from Detroit.   Transportation from the airport to area hotels and motels is available by taxi at reasonable rates and the Inn on Lake Superior (the workshop hotel) and other area hotels provide shuttle service (check with your hotel).  Rental cars may also be obtained at the airport from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National.

Participants are expected to reserve and pay for their own hotel accommodations for the time you will be in Duluth for the workshop. Listed below are hotels within walking distance of the workshop site (Inn on Lake Superior; see map). Rates listed in the table below are weekday "UMD rates" recently quoted by the various hotels; they are not guaranteed and are subject to change. A block of rooms are reserved at the Hibbing Park Hotel for Thursday night (4/24-4/25) for those attending the optional field trip, but participants will be expected to pay for their own accommodations.   

Questions about registration or accommodations?
Contact Jim Miller – 218-726-6582, mille066@umn.edu

Questions about the short course or field trips?
Contact Dean Peterson – 218-720-4393, dpeters@nrri.umn.edu

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