Atna Reports Progress at Pinson Gold Project

GOLDEN, CO - Atna Resources Ltd. reported on activity at the Pinson Gold Mine in Humboldt County, Nevada. Pinson Mining Company ("PMC"), a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, spent US$5.2 million on drilling and development activities at Pinson in the second quarter of 2008 bringing their total project-to-date expenditures to US$13.2 million. PMC may earn a 70 percent interest in the project by spending a total of US$30 million by April 6, 2009, which would result in Atna retaining a 30 percent interest.
Initial results of PMC resource optimization studies indicate the potential for an open pit concept that could combine the underground resource with un-mined resources remaining in and around four of the historic Pinson mine pits, into a large pit concept. PMC plans an additional 30,000 feet of surface drilling to evaluate the open pit model with further delineation of mineralization in the four historic pit areas. PMC is conducting additional metallurgical studies to further define possible metallurgical process routes for the various sulfide and oxide mineralization types at the site.
Simultaneous work is being conducted on optimizing underground mine design and economic trade-off studies on the benefits of mining the high grade resource zone by underground methods or proceeding with the project using a large scale open pit concept.
A second portal collar was completed during the quarter. The underground contractor is being changed, resulting in delays to further underground development during rebidding and remobilization. The new contractor should be in place and advancing underground development in early August. Dewatering infrastructure was placed into service, including two rapid infiltration basins and associated pipelines. PMC has completed drilling on a second dewatering well to around 580 feet. A total of four wells are planned to accelerate dewatering ahead of planned decline or pit development. The site power distribution system has been upgraded and construction for a mineralized stockpile began.
Drilling focused on infill in the upper Ogee and Range Front resource zones and on exploration of geophysical targets outside the resources areas. During the quarter, five underground drillholes totaling 2,065 feet of core were completed from two drill stations on the Ogee ramp as infill drilling on the Ogee Zone. One surface reverse circulation hole was targeted on a geophysical anomaly and two surface dewatering pilot holes were drilled totaling 2,510 feet with 420 feet of core tail.
The company's address is 14142 Denver West Parkway, Suite 250, Golden, CO 80401, 303-278-8464, fax: 303-279-3772.