Cliffs Natural Resources Public Mine Tours Scheduled For Summer 2014
Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on June 3, 2014
A guided tour of a working iron ore mine and processing plant will be available to the public again for the 21st year this summer as Cliffs Natural Resources’ Michigan Operations will open its mining area and processing facility to visitors beginning on June 10. The summer tours are a special program offered by the Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) and Cliffs.
The tours will begin on Tuesday, June 10 and run until Saturday, August 23. One tour per day will be offered Tuesdays through Saturday afternoons and will last approximately three hours.
“The LSCP is proud to partner with Cliffs Natural Resources again for summer tours,” said Amy Clickner, Chief Executive Officer, Lake Superior Community Partnership. “The tours are extremely popular and we believe in the value of providing access to a major employer’s operations that wouldn’t normally be available to the general public.”
“Visitors will get an in depth look into our operations and see how iron ore is mined and processed into iron ore pellets,” said Jennifer Huetter, district manager of public affairs for Cliffs. “We hope visitors will walk away with a better understanding of the mining industry and how it directly affects our local economy. It’s important for us to show how vital mining is to the Upper Peninsula and how Cliffs is essential to the North American steel industry.”
Tickets for the tours can be purchased in advance. The cost is $15.00 per person, which offsets the transportation and administrative costs of the tour program. Tickets will be sold at the LSCP office on Front Street in Marquette.
The tours will begin with visitors meeting the tour bus at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee Township.
The tours will begin promptly at 12:00 noon as visitors receive a video presentation and orientation at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum prior to the bus departing for the mine. The tour route will allow visitors to view mining operations at Cliffs’ Empire facility, while the ore processing portion of the tour will take place at the Tilden Mine concentrator and pelletizing plant.
Tour space is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the popularity of the tour program, advance reservations are recommended. Minimum age for the tour is 10 years old and children ages under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
