will see more than $100 million in spending this year as workers prepare to dig deep and extend the mine鈥檚 life to 2021.

Vice general manager Bryan Deagle said Huckleberry鈥檚 2012 budget will cover everything from a new tailings dam to major equipment and camp upgrades.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge investment by our ownership. Owners Imperial Metals and the Japan Group are banking on the long term, he added, noting that this year鈥檚 $100 million capital plan exceeds the mine鈥檚 annual revenues.

Huckleberry鈥檚 extension plan got a green light in November, when a review committee chaired by the B.C. Ministry of Mines permitted the company to log 70,000 cubic metres of timber and build a new tailings pond.

That timber contract went to loggers at and to the Houston Forest Products sawmill, Deagle said.

Deagle said several earthworks companies have already bid on the contract to build a clay and rock dam for Huckleberry鈥檚 new tailings pond.

鈥淲e want to take time to make sure we do everything right,鈥� he added, noting Huckleberry鈥檚 strong record on water management and the tough lessons learned from leaching at older projects like Equity Mine.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there was a great understanding in those years about ARD [acid rock drainage] and other issues,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight off the bat, we committed to preventing issues like that.鈥�

Aside from the new tailings pond and a few new camp buildings, Deagle said the mine site will basically stay the same size, about 4 kilometres long and 2.5 kilometres wide.

鈥淭he operation is not expanding. It鈥檚 extending its life,鈥� said Deagle.

Essentially, Deagle said the plan is not to dig a new pits but to simply widen and deepen the 鈥渂owl鈥� of an older pit to get at lower-grade ore that wasn鈥檛 profitable until copper, silver and gold prices hit their current highs.

All that extra work means Huckleberry Mine will need new equipment and new workers.

鈥淥ur employee numbers are going to climb from about 230 to 290,鈥� said Deagle.

Wendy Curtis, Huckleberry鈥檚 human resources manager, said the company has already received hundreds of job applications.

鈥淥ne of our mandates is to hire local,鈥� Curtis said. 鈥淎nd local for us is anywhere from Smithers to 亚洲天堂 Lake.鈥�

About 40 per cent of Huckleberry staff live in or Telkwa. Roughly a third live in Houston or Granisle.

Just seven per cent of Huckleberry staff currently live in 亚洲天堂 Lake, but Curtis said she鈥檚 received many applications from residents there after the January 20, 2012 explosion and fire destroyed the town鈥檚 Babine Forest Products sawmill and main employer.

To house the new workers, who typically work four days on, four days off, Deagle said Huckleberry is building a new camp and renovating its old one.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got a camp that鈥檚 been out there for 15 years,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t needs upgrades.鈥�

One of those upgrades is a land-based Telus line that will boost internet access to Huckleberry and to the several logging and exploration companies working along that 120-km stretch south of Houston.

Until now, Deagle said Huckleberry Mine workers have had to rely on satellite communications that have limited bandwidth.

While he looks forward to the upgraded camp, Deagle is clearly most excited by the new equipment that is now rolling up to the mine. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like going down to Sullivan鈥檚 and buying a new truck,鈥� he said, laughing. 鈥淭he guys are just drooling.鈥�

Along with six new 150 ton Caterpillar trucks and a front-shovel excavator, Deagle said operators are already getting to use a new grater equipped with ergonomic seats and dual joysticks. New operators will train on-site using simulators provided by Finning.

All the new equipment is a big change for Huckleberry Mine, which was immediately saddled by low copper prices and had to run a bare-bones setup when Deagle first started back in 1996.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been quite a ride for everybody at the mine,鈥� he said.