Upper Peninisula, Michigan (Uranium) Upper Peninisula, Michigan (Nickel-Copper)
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Mineral Creek
  MINERAL CREEK OVERVIEWIn 2005, Bitterroot entered into an agreement to earn up to a 75-percent interest in the Mineral Creek Property, located near Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The property includes four target areas (the Linda, 900, 1050, and Mineral Creek zones) containing high-grade gold mineralization, as demonstrated by prior operators and confirmed by Bitterroot and its joint-venture partner, Mineral Creek Ventures Ltd. (MCV). The Lower Linda vein system presents a unique opportunity for Bitterroot and MCV to develop a low-capital cost, low-impact gold mine. Underground chip sampling has confirmed that the Lower Linda vein hosts extremely high grades (ranging from 29.5 to 1,795 grams Au/tonne) of coarse native gold over mineable widths (0.60 to 1.60 metres). Core drilling has identified high-grade gold mineralization in the Lower Linda vein along a strike length of 270 metres and 40 metres down-dip. The mineralization is open along strike and down dip. Additional narrow, high-grade veins with unknown extent have also been identified in the vicinity of the Lower Linda vein. MCV has received all permits necessary for the extraction of a 5,000-tonne bulk sample from the Linda Zone. In late-2007, Mineral Creek mined approximately 200 tonnes of gold-mineralized rock from an adit on the Lower Linda vein. This material is currently being processed using gravity-based recovery methods to produce gold concentrates. Bitterroot's portion of the bulk sample costs and proceeds will be 50-percent from the first 2,500 tonnes mined, and 55-percent of the next 2,500 tonnes mined, with MCV's portion at 50-percent and 45-percent, respectively. MCV is the operator of the bulk sampling and ongoing exploration programs at Mineral Creek. From 1985 to 1991, Westmin Resources Limited invested more than $13-million in surface and underground exploration at Mineral Creek, identifying disseminated and bonanza-style epithermal gold mineralization and volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization at several locations along a two-kilometre trend. Westmin drilled more than 50,000 metres, trenched 1,200 metres, collected 20,000 soil samples, and mapped the property at 1:1,000 scale. A 1.8-kilometre exploration tunnel and 230 meters of crosscuts and raises were developed for drill platforms and bulk samples in the Mineral Creek Zone. These modern, trackless workings are in excellent condition and will facilitate further exploration and development of the property. Elsewhere on the property, at the high-grade 900 Zone, underground workings including 240 metres of trackless drift and 135 metres of raises were previously used for small-scale test mining. Between 1993 and 1995, it is estimated that 1,800 tonnes of ore grading 51 grams Au/Tonne were mined. In 2006, drilling by Bitterroot and MCV confirmed the presence of high-grade mineralization in the 1050 Zone with intervals including 74.5 grams Au/Tonne over a 1.0-metre core length, 402 grams Au/Tonne over a 0.4-metre core length (within 5.3 metres averaging 34.1 grams Au/Tonne), and 244 grams Au/Tonne over a 0.8-metre core length. The 1050 Zone has been intersected along a strike length of 130 metres and approximately 60 metres down dip. The Mineral Creek property consists of 24 mineral claims covering approximately 5,500 hectares (55 square-kilometres). The project area is accessible by an extensive network of all-weather logging roads and is proximal to industrial infrastructure, a local power grid, and a deep water port. The primarily coarse, free-milling gold occurrences are hosted by Sicker Group volcanic and sedimentary rocks, which also host known VMS base metal occurrences. Bitterroot has earned an initial 55-percent interest in the Mineral Creek Property by completing exploration expenditures of $1.2-million, issuing 450,000 common shares, and making cash payments totaling $160,000 within a three-year period. Bitterroot is earning an additional 20-percent interest by completing further exploration expenditures of $800,000, issuing 200,000 common shares, and making cash payments totaling $100,000 within the subsequent two years. Bitterroot also acquired a 75-percent interest in five mineral claims (totaling 1,562 hectares) adjoining the Mineral Creek Property by issuing 100,000 common shares to a private party. Mineral Creek Property
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