WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CHARLESTON -- Jackson Kelly recently announced its suport for the first-ever National Summit of Mining Communities (NSMC), which was held Oct. 3-5 in Leadville, Colo., the highest incorporated community in the United States

Through scholarships to the summit, Jackson Kelly supports communities and innovators seeking to establish and create new means of sharing ideas regarding the economic progression and growth of communities throughout the United States.

"Helping to bring together mining communities from all over the country is just the beginning of the Summit's goals," said Katherine Larkin, Of Counsel with the firm's Denver office and a moderator for the Summit. "Jackson Kelly's sponsorship has provided scholarships for many of these communities' leaders and citizens."

The goal of the NSMC is to establish a running dialogue and exchange of ideas between communities affected by mining all of the United States.

"There is a need for communities to talk to each other, to share success stories and failures, to help create a pathway to sustainable economies that are not dependent solely on mining," said Mike Conlin, principal of Conlin Associates.

It is hoped that the National Summit of Mining Communities will become an annual event. It had as many as 300 participants its first year.

"(It) will have some wonderful educational components that can really help the economic development of the community," said John Marrin, Dean of Colorado Mountain College's Timberline Campus.

The Summit featured several well-known speakers and presenters, including David Naccarati, President of Phelps Dodge Mining Company; Wayne Murdy, Chairman and CEO of Newmont Mining Company; Mike Whitt, Executive Director, Mingo County, W.Va., Redevelopment Authority; and Jesse Silverstein, Executive Director, Colorado Brownfields Association; as well as presenters traveling from as far away as Peru.