8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report
(Date of earliest event reported): October 5, 2005

Hecla Mining Company
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
1-8491	82-0126240
(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
6500 North Mineral Drive, Suite 200 Coeur d’Alene, Idaho	83815-9408
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)
(208) 769-4100
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
N/A
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

        Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14-d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 1.02   Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement

        On October 5, 2005, Hecla Mining Company announced the resignation of Ian Atkinson as Vice President of Exploration and Strategy, effective October 7, 2005. In conjunction with the resignation of Mr. Ian Atkinson, the Employment Agreement between Hecla Mining Company and Mr. Atkinson will be terminated. A copy of the news release announcing Mr. Atkinson’s resignation is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5.02   Departure, Election, or Appointment of Directors or Officers

        On October 5, 2005, Hecla Mining Company announced the resignation of Ian Atkinson as Vice President of Exploration and Strategy, effective October 7, 2005. A copy of the news release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits

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SIGNATURE

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

HECLA MINING COMPANY
By:		/s/   Michael B. White
	Name:  Michael B. White Title:    Corporate Secretary

Dated: October 5, 2005

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No. Title

Exhibit 99.1 - Hecla Mining Company News Release dated October 5, 2005

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EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

ATKINSON LEAVES VP-EXPLORATION POST AT HECLA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2005

        COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO — Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) today announced the resignation of its Vice President of Exploration and Strategy, Ian Atkinson. Atkinson is leaving to take a position with another mining company.

        Hecla President and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips S. Baker, Jr., said, “While we’re sorry to see Ian go, he is leaving us in a good position to move forward with all of our exploration and development projects. We intend to continue to focus on exploration, because we have some great property positions with many excellent exploration targets for both gold and silver. We will begin a search for a new exploration vice president immediately, but in the meantime we have several extremely competent in-country exploration managers to move our programs forward.”

        Over the past two years, Hecla has increased its focus on exploration on properties held by the company in five world-class mining districts in three different countries. Hecla’s $14 million 2005 exploration budget has returned encouraging results in these mining districts, and the company’s future exploration plans are well defined. Hecla has budgeted an additional $9 million in 2005 for predevelopment funds for the Hollister Block gold exploration project in Nevada.

        Hecla has encountered exploration success in the past year at the Greens Creek and Lucky Friday silver mines in Alaska and Idaho, on the silver/base metal deposit called the Hugh zone in Mexico and on the Block B gold property in Venezuela. Hecla is also driving an exploration decline drift to confirm gold mineralization on the Hollister Block gold property, which is an earn-in to a joint venture with Great Basin Gold.

        Hecla Mining Company, headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, mines and processes silver and gold in the United States, Venezuela and Mexico. A 114-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: Vicki Veltkamp, vice president - investor and public relations, 208/769-4144
Hecla’s Home Page can be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.hecla-mining.com