CCS & Donlin Creek

"This is by far our busiest year in our short history," said George Gardner, president of Chiulista Camp Services (a Calista subsidiary established in 1996), "From western Alaska to eastern Canada, mineral exploration and activity has been booming."

A top accomplishment is the level of shareholder / descendant hire. While over half are working at Donlin Creek, CCS employs region residents throughout Alaska, including at: Nixon Fork Mine near McGrath; Nordic-Calista Services camps on the North Slope; food services for Norquest Seafoods at Cordova and Naknek; the Nyac exploration project near Tuluksak. CCS also provides food services for Kennecott Exploration at Rainy Pass near Puntilla Lake, and is working with Northern Dynasty Mines at their Pebble project near Iliamna.

Presently, of the 164 CCS employees at Donlin Creek, 93 percent are Calista shareholders. "Donlin Creek has put our company into a leadership position in regard to shareholder, Alaska Native employment." Gardner said. While the majority of shareholder employees are from villages near the project, recruitment efforts earlier this year have yielded new employees from Akiak, Akiachak, Bethel, Nunapitchuk, Russian Mission, St. Marys, and Pilot Station.

Boart Longyear Company (the drilling company at Donlin since 1996) now has over 75 percent shareholder hire. Many shareholders that started as driller assistants quickly gained enough experience and knowledge to become lead drillers.

Bill Bieber, operations manager for Barrick Gold Corporation at Donlin Creek, reported the drilling program has been nearly doubled from its original size, and all the while "our commitment to shareholder hire has remained firm."

In 2006, the Donlin Creek project has been humming with activity. Barrick (since purchasing Placer Dome, this spring) has generated new drill sites to progressively expand its exploration efforts. They are further refining their drilling methods to more accurately identify the status of its "inferred" resource, into "measured" and "indicated".

In-fill drilling occurs at closer intervals between previously drilled holes to better analyze and prove the resource with greater accuracy. "Measured" (most accurate), "indicated" (next to most accurate), and "inferred" (least accurate) are the three levels of mineral measurement used to define mineral presence and quantity.

Shareholder hire coordinators, Wassilie Kameroff from Chuathbaluk and Leonard Morgan from Aniak, have done an excellent job of recruiting and staffing the Donlin Creek project. Both now serve in supervisory / managerial positions.

"I am very proud of what we have done and are now doing at Donlin Creek," Kameroff said, "Through our hard work, teamwork and a "can-do"" attitude, we have proven to Barrick and to everyone else what a good deal this is for everyone."

Shareholders are also lead drillers at Nyac, an exploration drilling project near Tuluksak (managed by Tonogold Resources, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California). And, again, shareholders are actively recruited from nearby villages. The program at Nyac will likely run through August, and will continue depending upon their initial exploration findings.

Make history and join CCS projects! Contact the Human Resources department at:
TOLL FREE JOB HOTLINE 1-888-968-241,
or, http://www.calistacorp.com/employment.html
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