Hecla Opens Vancouver Office and Appoints Two Vice Presidents

Hecla Mining Company is pleased to announce the opening of an additional corporate office in Vancouver, British Columbia, scheduled for February 5, 2007.

Hecla’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips S. Baker, Jr., said, “Vancouver is widely recognized as a major mining center, and certainly a hub of exploration activity. Our strategy is to be a viable, visible partner for companies that have properties needing exploration and development. Hecla is a producing company that has developed many mines, both surface and underground, and we’re ready to use that expertise in partnership with others. A Vancouver office makes it easier for potential partners to explore their future with us.”

The office will be located at 580 Hornby Street, Suite 440. Newly appointed Vice President – Exploration, Dr. Dean McDonald, who joined Hecla on September 1, 2006, will be located in the Vancouver office, as well as other Hecla executives. Property submissions and other inquires to Hecla’s Vancouver office can be directed at this time to McDonald through Hecla’s corporate office at 208-769-4100, or dmcdonald@hecla-mining.com.

McDonald, a senior corporate executive with 24 years of experience in exploration and project evaluation, will provide direction for Hecla’s aggressive exploration program and help develop overall strategy for the company as part of the executive management team. “Dean brings to Hecla a wide experience with projects and deposits in Canada, South America, the U.S. and Australia. In addition to focusing on Hecla’s substantial gold and silver exploration programs in five world-class mining districts, he will also lend additional strength to our generative exploration efforts.”

Since 2003, McDonald has been Vice President Exploration and Business Development for Committee Bay Resource Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he managed gold projects in Nunavut and Western Australia, including grassroots exploration, in-fill drilling and resource estimation with related scoping and feasibility studies. Prior work includes exploration management for Miramar Mining Corporation, Nerco Exploration Company and Northern Orion Explorations.

McDonald holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Western Ontario and a M.Sc. in Structural and Mineral Deposits from the University of New Brunswick. He has received numerous academic and research awards and has been widely published during his career.

The Board of Directors has also appointed another new officer of the company: Jay S. Layman as Vice President – Corporate Development. Layman has been in the mining industry for 25 years, with 13 years of experience in project evaluation and development, most recently as President for Tactical & Strategic Advisory Services in Littleton, Colorado. Prior to that, Layman worked for Quadrem in Australia and Asia, and Newmont Gold Company as project manager and in strategic planning. He holds BSME and BABA degrees from Washington State University and an MBA in Finance from Eastern Washington University. Companies interested in exploring a future partnership with Hecla may contact Layman at jlayman@hecla-mining.com.

Baker said, “We also welcome Jay as another experienced member to our management team. His appointment underscores Hecla’s emphasis on growth as we continue to search out opportunities for acquisition and partnerships.”

Hecla Mining Company, headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, mines, processes and explores for silver and gold in the United States, Venezuela and Mexico. A 115-year-old company, Hecla has long been well known in the mining world and financial markets as a quality silver and gold producer. Hecla’s common and preferred shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols HL and HL-PrB.

Statements made which are not historical facts, such as anticipated payments, litigation outcome, production, sales of assets, exploration results and plans, costs, and prices or sales performance are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated, expected or implied. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, metals price volatility, volatility of metals production and costs, exploration risks and results, political risks, project development risks, labor issues and ability to raise financing. Refer to the company’s Form 10-Q and 10-K reports for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The company undertakes no obligation and has no intention of updating forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Hecla Mining Company vice president – investor and public relations

Vicki Veltkamp, 208-769-4144

http://www.hecla-mining.com

Source: Hecla Mining Company