Prospecting course developed.

• Author: GOULIQUER, DIANNE

New program intended to boost interest in exploration

A unique prospecting course taking place in Kenora may spark new interest in mineral exploration and save the area's dwindling "prospecting fraternity," a local geologist suggests.

Peter Hinz is one of six instructors teaching Discover Prospecting, a nine-week course about minerals and rocks. The course is a joint initiative of the Kenora Mining Group and the Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp.

"The prospecting fraternity is dwindling; it's not a career path that many people choose," Hinz says. "The number of full-tune prospectors is dropping off, and what we're finding more and more is that the weekend prospectors are the ones who are sort of going out and doing the Work. What we're trying to do is generate more part-time prospectors to keep the numbers up because every year some of the old prospectors pass away and those numbers are dwindling. We need people out in the hush looking for mineral resources."

Hinz, who also works in Kenora's resident geologist's office, says the course is being delivered through nine three-hour sessions. It will wrap up on May 10.

Upon completion, participants will have a firm grasp of mineral and rock identification, understand staking requirements, and be knowledgeable about research techniques.

"They'll take away the ability to identify minerals and rocks in the field, and they'll gain an understanding of mineral deposits and how they're formed and what they look like," Hinz says. "They'll gain an understanding of staking requirments - how to stake out claims and how to record claims, how to research a commodity or property and how to do basic exploration and prospecting on the property."

"We actually had a waiting list of 20 people, so there's a possibility that we're going to have to look at running another course.

Nearly 60 people showed an interest in...