Hecla Mining Company

Information set forth in Items 1A, 1B and 2 have been incorporated by reference into this Item 1. 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction Hecla Mining Company is a precious metals company originally incorporated in 1891 (in this report, “we” or “our” or “us” refers to Hecla Mining Company and/or our affiliates and subsidiaries). We are engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties and the mining and processing of silver, gold, lead and zinc. Our business is to discover, acquire, develop, produce and market mineral resources. Prior to 2002, we were also engaged in the mining and processing of industrial minerals.