The Vancouver Sun reports in its Wednesday edition that Geoscience B.C. is planning to fly what may be its biggest-ever airborne geophysical survey in west-central British Columbia. The Sun's Derrick Penner writes that meanwhile, miners continued paring back exploration work in 2015, reducing their spending to explore mineral claims by almost 20 per cent to $272-million, with much of that spent on advanced proposals such as Seabridge Gold's massive KSM project in the far northwest. The industry has been beset by closures as firms suspend operations in the face of weak commodity prices. The region where Geoscience B.C. plans to fly its aerial survey this summer is a case in point. It is home to the Endako molybdenum mine near Fraser Lake, now owned by Thompson Creek Metals, which suspended mining indefinitely last year. Imperial Metals' Huckleberry mine south of Houston represents one of Geoscience B.C.'s biggest successes, pointing the company to favourable geology that helped extend the mine's life. Geoscience B.C. has spent $79-million on public geoscience work since its inception in 2005, $57-million of that from the province. Every dollar spent has resulted in $5 worth of exploration work by industry.