Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) is proud to announce that it has been awarded the 2022 Environmental and Sustainability Excellence Award for its San Sebastian mine in Durango State, Mexico. This recognition from the American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) acknowledges Hecla’s dedication to upholding the most stringent environmental and sustainability standards. The San Sebastian project, which yields silver and gold, operated from 2001-2005 and then again from 2015-2020 and was one of the most prolific silver providers in Mexico, yielding over 23.6 million ounces of silver. Exploration efforts are still ongoing in the general area and remain highly promising. 

Hecla is a company that values safety, environmental responsibility, and community engagement. The Chief Executive Officer, Phillips S. Baker Jr., has referred to the corporation’s dedication to these principles and has highlighted their attempts at reinstating the San Sebastian property. 

“Returning the land to its original state after it has been disrupted by activities such as mining or other industrial operations is what reclamation means,” Baker said. “It is of the utmost importance for corporations to ensure that their presence and operations have the least effect on the environment and the people in their work areas. Hecla is taking this responsibility seriously.”

Mark Compton, Executive Director of the AEMA, praised Hecla for their excellent reclamation work at San Sebastian. “Filling up open pits and allowing the land to be used for agriculture again. This effort speaks to Hecla’s dedication to environmental safety and the sustainability of the communities in which they work.”