Permit Received To Begin Development At Butte Highlands Gold Project
COEUR D'ALENE, ID - Timberline Resources Corporation reported that it has received its Amended Exploration Permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This permit authorizes the company to proceed with its underground development and exploration activities as a pre-cursor to production at its Butte Highlands Gold Project.
Timberline and its 50% joint venture partner are now authorized to construct exploration drifts, perform both surface and underground drilling, and extract a bulk sample. The acreage that may be disturbed under the permit totals approximately 50 acres, including 20 acres for surface facilities. The plan involves construction of exploration drifts approximately 14 feet wide by 16 feet high and 6,700 feet in length. The drill program to further define and expand the resource anticipates 120 drill holes from 10-15 drill stations located throughout the drifts. The drill holes will average 500 feet in length for a total of approximately 60,000 feet of core drilling. The plan also anticipates collecting a 10,000 ton bulk sample. The underground development, exploration drilling, and bulk sampling is anticipated to take approximately one year.
Timberline's Vice President of Exploration, Paul Dircksen, said, "We have found the local officials and the Montana DEQ regulators to be very professional and thorough in their analyses and look forward to working with them as we move this project forward. The issuance of this permit demonstrates the confidence of the Montana DEQ in Timberline's and SMD's management to develop this project in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner as we advance the project through the next stage of development toward our goal of production. SMD has already begun preliminary site preparations and will have the site prepared and portal in place for continued development throughout the winter and into 2010."
Site developments will include a ventilation raise area, a facilities area (shop area, on-site power generation facility, fuel storage, and explosives storage), sediment and recycle water ponds, and waste rock storage areas. Improvements associated with the exploration project will include all facilities necessary for this development and future production, and will be confined to private lands owned by Timberline and the joint venture operating company.
Butte Highlands is located approximately 15 miles south of
The company’s address is 101 E. Lakeside,