Making mining accessible

Julie Dormer, the outreach co-ordinator for the Kamloops Exploration Group, is excited to educate the public about mining

Yukon Dan, guest speaker for KEG, teaches kids to pan for gold. — Photo courtesy KEG

The Kamloops Exploration Group (KEG) is an organization dedicated to raising awareness about mining and prospecting for metals, petroleum and minerals, and this is done through education, numerous events and a membership of a few thousand.

Julie Dormer is the outreach co-ordinator for KEG and she is, you can tell, very enthusiastic about the organization.
   
Dormer has an interesting background, having been a firefighter for 14 years, a sector leader for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, a loader driver for her father's mine, Pacific Bentonite Ltd., and a core cutter at Abacus. These are all jobs she loved, and she is now putting all her energy into KEG.

“Mining is booming and it's an incredible industry to be involved in,” said Dormer. “I love that I can help educate the public and work in the field. It's the best of both worlds really.”

The history of KEG

Dormer said that it was over 25 years ago that a bunch of geologists got together to swap stories over a few drinks.

“The number of people started to grow, and they thought they would bring in speakers to talk about different projects,” said Dormer. “The group grew and grew, and now we have thousands of members who promote and educate mining to the general public."

She said the big event for KEG is its annual conference, which attracts more than 500 delegates to Kamloops every year to learn about mining opportunities in British Columbia. The 25th annual KEG Conference and Tradeshow will be held this year on April 3 for two days. The theme is KEG - 25 Years Supporting Mineral Exploration in British Columbia.

Field trips, short courses, highlights of exploration successes and issues are all part of the attraction of this conference. KEG expects a full house and is looking forward to hosting its annual KEG Conference hockey game—an event that is highly anticipated by many.

Public lectures and programs

KEG also holds a free community lecture series every year; this runs from January to April. The educational talks, aimed at promoting understanding of exploration and earth science, are very well attended and have been running since 2003. A highlight of the series this year is a presentation by Justine Wild, a 14-year-old student participant of Students on Ice, an educational expedition to Antarctica. She will talk about her experience on March 15.

Other events throughout the year include Ask-A-Geologist, geocaching, school visits, Adopt-A-Geologist, a Junior Delegates Program and Kamloops Geo Tours.

“Being a part of KEG is great,” said Dormer. “I have been involved for years, and to be the new outreach co-ordinator is something I truly enjoy. I believe strongly in mining In British Columbia, and being able to take part in educating others is rewarding.”