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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMidas GoldStar -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of l A Fresh Prospective Midas Gold spends millions, hires workers, in latest probe of Stibnite area "It's a significant deposit on a world scale. "—Midas Gold President Stephen Quin (Note this is the first of a series of stories on the search for gold in the Stibnite area by Midas Gold.) BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Gold hunters have retumed to the Stibnite area of Valley County, bringing with them jobs and the prospect of a long stay. The hunt is being done by Midas Gold, a company based in Vancouver, B.C. Midas Gold officials say high gold prices make it worthwhile again to search for gold as well as silver, antimony and tungsten. This winter, 80 Midas Gold workers have been busy drilling core samples in what the company calls the Golden Meadows Project, which includes areas east of Yellow Pine that have been explored by miners for more than a century. The results so far have been more than promising, with estimates of more than 5 million ounces of gold buried in the hills. It would take much to get the gold out, as the estimates say there is only an average of 0.055 ounces of gold per ton of rock, but that is higher than many other open pit gold deposits around the United States and the world. With gold selling this week at around $1,700 per ounce, the effort could well be worth it, according to Midas Gold officials. Photo and Graphic courtesy Midas Gina At top au aerial new of the Stibnite mining regror that has been worked by various companies for the last ceutrny Above, map shows location of l.fxlas Gold operations If that happens, upwards of 500 employees could be working at Stbnite before long, the officials said. "Having more than five million ounces is an unusual thing," said Midas Gold President Stephen Quin, a graduate of the Royal School of Mines in London with more than 30 years in the industry. "You're in less than 2 to 3 percent of the deposits in the world," Quin said. "It's a significant deposit on a world scale." Historical records show the area produced 450,000 ounces of gold as a by-product of the antimony and tungsten milling from 1928 to 1952, and then 520,000 ounces from 1974 to 1997 as a result of cyanide heap -leaching. In the early 1900s, the Stibnite deposits were worked by United Mercury Mines and the Bradley Mining Co. Bradley focused on the recovery of antimony and tungsten during World War II, but later ceased operations. Many Companies A sharp rise in gold prices in the 1970s renewed exploration. Louisiana Land and Exploration Co., El Paso Oil and Gas and Ranchers Exploration first explored the area followed by Twin Rivers Exploration, MINVEN, Pioneer Metals, Dakota Mines and Hecla Mining Co. Midas Gold went big this time, snatching up the patchwork map of mining claims in the area and consolidating in 2009 into one, large exploration area spanning more than 28,000 acres. Quin said he was not permitted to say what the total value of the deposits could be, but acknowledged it could be "a lot of dollars." The results of this winter's exploration will help Midas Gold decide whether it will start full-blown mining. "We're making measurable progress," Quin said. "We're passing those mileposts and getting to that final decision." (Next Week: Drill cores and soap bubbles.) http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 3/15/2012 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 When looking for gold, the more holes you drill, the more you know BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The drills are spinning around the clock at the Midas Gold Corp.'s Golden Meadows Project at Stibnite as the Canadian company readies itself for possible excavation. Some 55,000 feet of drilling is planned for the first part of the year to further define the extent of the gold ore in its three main deposits. "Essentially, your confidence level is driven by how much drilling you do," said Midas Gold President Stephen Quin. "Take a wooden desk. You drill two holes the size of a pencil, it gives you some information," Quin said. "You drill more over time, you can define how big the table is and how thick it is." Midas spent $24 million in 2011 doing exploring in the Stibnite area and had a budget of $37 million heading into the new year. The exploration fills in information gaps from previous activity. For example, the identified length of the Hangar Flats deposit is nearly a mile long, but it is possible that it could extend another mile to the north. The Yellow Pine and West End deposits also could stretch farther horizontally and vertically. There are now about 80 people on site now, primarily running the half -dozen rigs and in support. Each rig has three people per shift on a 12-hour shift. "The high-grade, near -surface nature of our gold deposits warrants a substantial commitment to advancing the Golden Meadows Project as rapidly as practicable," Quin said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/leakpage.php 3/15/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 The Decision to Dig Midas Gold spends millions pondering if mining should proceed "We don't intend to shut down halfway." —Stephen Quin (This is the second in a series of stories on the search for gold in the Stibnite area by Midas Gold.) BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The drill cores piling up at Midas Gold Corp. and the price of gold will soon tell the company whether full-scale mining will retum to the Stibnite area of Valley County. The Vancouver, B.C., company is spending millions this year to better define the extent of its gold ore, as well as getting a better handle on important materials such as antimony and tungsten. Midas Gold is working rapidly to finally decide whether to start mining what he described as high-grade ore near the surface of the mining district near Yellow Pine. Midas is having no trouble raising the money for its work, with $75 million brought in byinvestors since the beginning pl"�jYWaOed 9 9 9 Dhdas :old employees Ain Ebuch, left. and I.auce of the year. Sager sample ore from a trench m the Hangar Flats area of the SUbmte mmmg distnet m a photo "We don't intend to shut down halfway,' Midas Gold Wren last year President Stephen Quin said. "We'll be busy the balance of the year and that's part of the reason to raise the additional money, obviously." The drilling will also fill out information on the amount of antimony and tungsten, which was so important for military uses during Worts War II that up to 1,500 people lived in that remote community. Today, antimony is used main to make flame retardants and as an alloy in batteries, bullets and cable sheathing. Tungsten is used to make wear -resistant abrasives and cutters and knives for drills. About 80 people are current working on the Midas Gold claims collectively known as Golden Meadows, with the possibility of 500 or so jobs created if mining commences. A Different Process If mining does start, Midas Gold would stay on the surface, at least for the short-term. The potential for mining silver, antimony and tungsten is being assessed and could provide a badmp source of income it the price of gold, now around $1,700 per ounce, sags. Midas Gold is planning to use different process to coax gold from the ore than has been used in the past. The company estimates it will need to process 18 tons of ore to obtain one ounce of gold. Previous companies poured a diluted cyanide solution through heaps of ore, leaching out the gold. Midas Gold intends to use a process called froth flotation. "An analogy is you put dirty dishes in the sink and you put in dish soap and tum on the tap,' Quin said. "You get a bunch of bubbles and all the mucky scum stuff floats to the top." Substances such as pine oil are added and air is blown through to make bubbles. The gold sticks to the oil, which in turn sticks to the bubbles, leaving the spent ore behind. The concentrate could be processed on site, or it could be trucked to Cascade and then, possibly, sent to a processing plant by train. Midas Gold is studying whether it would be economical to haul the concentrate over the Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad between Cascade and Horseshoe Bend. "We have already talked with the railroad owners' Quin said. "it's definitely a possibility." (Next Week: 20 days on, 10 days off.) http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/22/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Valley County to open Johnson Creek Road for Midas Gold traffic Valley County commissioners have signed a maintenance agreement with Midas Gold Corp. so truck traffic can begin traveling Johnson Creek Road in about a week. Commissioners on Monday approved the agreement with Midas, which is currently drilling at Stibnite to determine whether it will start extracting gold ore at its Golden Meadows Project. The road is normally closed each winter due to snow and travel to Yellow Pine and the site has taken place over the South Fork Salmon River Road. Midas will clear snow from Johnson Creek Road. On June 1, Valley County will take over its maintenance, said Jerry Robinson, county road superintendent. Warm Lake Highway also will be cleared and Valley County will maintain that stretch from Warm Lake to Landmark. The company will reimburse the county for its efforts until June 1. Midas Gold also plans to create a parking lot for snowmobiler just south of the intersection of Johnson Creek and Wami Lake roads at Landmark. Approval for that is up to the Cascade Ranger District, Robinson said. Snowmobile grooming is over for the winter In that area, he said. Anyone with questions should call the Midas Gold office in Lake Fork at 634-4653. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/22/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 7 Contact Us Place Classified Vew Glossa ed Ads Arts/Events Outdoors/Rec Letters/Viewpoints Sports/Schools Of Record Public Lands/Roads Public Notices Groups Info Desk Calendar Announcements McCall, ID 36 °F Overcast at 03:21 PM Afletei Click for Foracast TOP NEWS STORIES —THURSDAY, MARCH 29. 2012 20 Day On, 10 Days Off Midas Gold workers put in long shifts in search of precious metals (This is the third in a series of stories on the search for gold In the Stibnite area by Midas Gold.) BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Each month, Austin Zinsser boards a Ford Excursion with other employees of Midas Gold Corp. at the company's offices in Lake Fork. The geologist and the others leave their personal cars behind in the Lake Fork parking lot to make the trip to Yellow Pine, which can take three hours during the winter. There, they transfer to four -wheel -drive vans to travel another hour to the Stibnite mining district and what will be Zinsser's home for the next three weeks. The routine is similar for most of the 80 employees of Midas Gold who are searching for new sources of gold, silver and other metals in what the company calls its Golden Meadows Project. Geologists like Zinsser work 20 days before getting 10 days off. Technicians managing the drills that are pulling out hundreds of core samples work 14 days on, seven days off. Plom wares Yidas Gehl Midas GoldgeologistAusOu7. o srrerauuses rock atthe company's Golden Meadows Protect near Yellow Pine Working long shifts in an isolated location is not a problem for Zinsser, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. He is enjoying his first professional job and gets to live in Valley County. "This was my first job in the mining industry: he said. "I was lucky in a way because the company was so small. I got to wear a lot of hats." Zinsser likes that while his adopted area has shifted toward recreation, it has not taken on the trappings of a rich resort community that forgot its roots. "McCall has much more soul," he said. Boom and Bust Bill Callahan, the field manager for the Golden Meadows Project, arrived in Valley County in 2000 working in construction. After the crash of construction jobs that accompanied the real estate bust, Callahan was able to transfer his experience into mining. Midas Gold declines to reveal what it pays its employees, but Callahan said salaries are competitive and mostly higher than similar duties in construction. The Lake Fork office is more than just an administrative and transportation hub. It also houses a room for Midas employees to study the rock samples taken from Stibnite to determine the amount of precious metals that might lie underground. Midas can house up to 56 people in Yellow Pine and 24 in Stibnite using modular buildings that have been put together into square -shaped compounds The company also rents houses and cabins at Yellow Pine. There are a half -dozen drill rigs at work manned by contract employees, running continually with crews working 12-hour shifts. Carpenters build support for the rigs on the slopes and the rigs are heated in the winter to avoid freezing. After the core samples have been taken, the drill sites are rehabilitated and seeded. The Golden Meadows Project already is affecting local businesses. Fuel is being transported to the site, sometimes by plane. Parts are arriving. Local excavators are moving dirt If Midas Gold decides to start digging the ore in eamest, the work force could increase to as many as 500, according to company officials. By comparison, Tamarack Resort employed 550 people at its peak in 2007 before the resorts financial troubles began. lA ,l.,,, You are logged on as MRS. B.F. LEONARD Subscription Er. Fares: 08r20!20 I Renew Subscription Eda Account Log Off Headlines Index • Economist urges long-term improvements while Midas Gold is here • Gravel pit owners, neighbors, reach compromise • McCall pays $125,000 settlement over drug -informant case • McCall council lowers speed limits on Idaho west of town • McCall man charged with rape of woman. 21, in apartment • Rec board begins search for swimming pool funding • McCall council weighs merits of annexing Ski Ranch neighborhood • Correction Back To Front Page http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/29/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Economist urges long-term improvements while Midas Gold is here BY D.AN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The resurgence of gold mining in Valley County can be like riding a roller -coaster, a local economist said. As Midas Gold Corp. ramps up work at its Golden Meadows Project near Yellow Pine, local communities should begin preparing for when the company leaves, said Willem Braak, extension educator with the University of Idaho Extension in Cascade. "If you look at the history of all mining, what happens is there is a boom, and there is a huge profit for the original owners," Braak said. "What the problem is, in the beginning were all supportive," he said. "Now you're getting to the end stage where, in all likelihood, the current owner wouldn't want to own it." The next owner may not have the money to do the mining right or clean up afterwards, Braak said. That owner may walk away with the state or federal government holding the bill. "The trick is while the going is good, can you work with the owners so the heritage is actually something we are willing to live with," he said. A mine may need improved roads, or power lines, or in the case of Midas Gold, maybe even a railroad line like the current tracks running from Cascade to the Boise area. "Anything were doing today to help them, ultimately what is left here is something we can use' Braak said. "The momentum can get things in place so they're sustainable after they leave." The goal is to get off the economic roller -coaster, he said "Economic development looks like a trickle compared with it, Braak said. But a trickle can grow." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/29/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Not All That Glitters Midas Gold also seeks antimony, tungsten BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Like other miners over the ages, Midas Gold Corp. is seeking glittery silver and gold in the Stibnite area, but less glamorous metals such as antimony and tungsten may become important at the company's Golden Meadows Project. Midas is drilling intensively to gauge its gold reserves in the project area, but does not currently have adequate data on the silver, antimony and tungsten, Midas President Stephen Quin said. "In the 1970s to the 1990s, they weren't focused on that there," Quin said. "They were in the 1920s to 1950s, so we have data from that time, but not much more recently." Antimony is important to industry, especially as a fire retardant in plastic coatings on electrical wire. "Plastic is made from petroleum, so it would naturally catch fire," Quin said. "How do you keep it from burning? Add antimony." Antimony also is not brittle, so it is added to lead in large batteries like those used in ships to prevent the battery cores from crumbling. The original American aircraft carriers had wooden decks, and antimony paint was applied to keep them from buming in the event of a fire. Tungsten is more familiar to the public, used as the filament in light bulbs and as an alloy in steel to make durable drill bits and saw blades. "The hardest material you can find are diamonds, but they are rather expensive," Quin said America's entry into World War II immediately made domestic supplies of antimony and tungsten vital. Hundreds of miners and their families streamed into the Stibnite area to extract them. Experts say tungsten was a major factor for the Korean War as Korea was the foremost source of the mineral at the time. China currently produces about 90 percent of the world's supply of antimony and tungsten, so increased domestic production would reduce dependence on that foreign source, Quin said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 4/5/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 2 Watching The Water Midas Cold goes the extra mile so far to prevent pollution into nearby streams "The proposals they've come up with are so complete we don't really have a lot of negotiating to do. "—Jim Egnew (This is the fourth in a series of stories on the search for gold in the Stibnite area by Midas Gold.) BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The ocean-going salmon and other fish who live in the South Fork of the Salmon River watershed have more than a passing interest in the search for gold in Valley County by Midas Gold Corp. The Vancouver, B.C., company is poised to begin a massive excavation of ore in the Stibnite mining district near Yellow Pine that also happens to be near the headwaters of one of the region's most important fisheries. That has conservationists nervous, but Midas Gold officials say they are committed to protecting the site through the use of modern methods. "We're continuing our tradition to voluntarily improve things for the natural environment beyond what we've had an impact on," Midas President Stephen Quin said. Midas is exploring three major gold deposits in the old Stibnite mining area collectively called the Gold Meadows Project and has several others under consideration. The results of its testing will determine if the company starts its gold extraction, and possibly silver, antimony and tungsten, which could swell its work force from about 80 now to as many as 500. If Midas keeps its promise, it would be the exception to the previous century of mining that produced pollutants as well as precious metals. The mining practices of the time released arsenic -contaminated tailings into the environment, including the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River. Creeks Ran Brown During Works War II, the creeks ran brown and gray with pollution into the river. A smelter further added to the contaminants. From 1970 to 1991, Stibnite claims were leased by several different companies. One of those companies, Dakota Mining Co., fixed several environmental problems in the early 1990s, including the repair of heap -leach pads leaking cyanide solution into the groundwater. Dakota made a deal with federal regulators in 1995 to stabilize the war -era tailings and repair a diversion channel in Meadow Creek, but filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998. A total of nearly $10 million in public funds was spent on clean-up in the Stibnite area, said Jim Egnew, minerals and geology program manager for the Payette National Forest. The tailings were capped and re -vegetated and Meadow Creek was rechanneled to reduce the level of metals transported downstream. Exxon -Mobil Corp. did much of the work in Meadow Creek. "We're concerned this new mine could undo that restoration work and actually greatly increase the watershed risks of arsenic," said Jonathan Oppenheimer of the Idaho Conservation League. Populations of salmon, steelhead and bull trout have taken a precipitous decline and are endangered, Oppenheimer said. "All the way down to Riggins, there is a lot of economic value from recovering the fishery," he said. "It's going to be a challenge to try and develop a massive project in a sensitive environment" Cooperative Company Egnew agreed that a big risk at Stibnite is the potential for unleashing arsenic and antimony through mining and processing through a condition called acid -rock drainage. Midas is exploring on both national forest and private lands under year-to-year permits, Egnew said. A comprehensive plan for preserving the environment would be required if the company intends to stay a while, he said. "Midas has been great to work with and the proposals they've come up with are so complete we don't really have a lot of negotiating to do," Egnew said. If mining does begin, Midas would need to post bonds that would pay for the full cost of reclamation if the company suddenly departs, he said One big difference from past operations is that Midas does not plan to douse heaps of ore with a cyanide solution to extract the gold. Instead, it plans to use a flotation method that uses less -toxic chemicals. Lessons learned from several bankruptcies of large mining operations in the late 1990s resulted n http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 4/5/2012 This week's front page stories Page 2 of 2 agencies requiring much higher bonds to ensure total reclamation will be completed, Egnew said. Quin said his company is following environmental requirements closely as it nears a decision on full- blown mining. The company has taken thousands of tons of waste wood products from the former Boise Cascade sawmill site in Cascade and spread it onto areas previous mined to hold the soil. "We're voluntarily doing the work; Quin said. "We've not only cleaned up someone's disturbance, but also our own." Fuel tanks used by Midas Gold have containment structures in the event of a leak, and roofs to keep out rain and snow. Crews also have 'spill kits which are immediately employed in the event of an accident, such as if a truck hits a rock and leaks transmission fluid. "We're definitely focused on complying with the regulations; Quin said. "We have to demonstrate we're serious about this.' (Next Week: Growing up in Stibnite.) http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 4/5/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 2 Mort of !• Man who was raised in Stibnite recalls boom town during WWI! "It was protected. If an outsider came in, you knew it."-- Don Bailey (This is the last in a series of stones on the search for gold in the Stibnite area of Valley County by Midas Gold Corp.) BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Don Bailey knows first-hand about the landscape surrounding the Stibnite mining district of Valley County. He was raised there. Bailey, currently McCall's mayor, lived in the Stibnite area from 1936 to 1950, which included the years when Bradley Mining Co. was extracting minerals vital for the nation's war effort during World War II. Today, Midas Gold Corp. of Vancouver, B.C., is again exploring the area for gold and silver as well as the antimony and tungsten mined by Bradley. Rather than a completely remote outpost, World War II -era Stibnite took on the trappings of most towns, Bailey recalled in an interview. About 1,000 people lived at Stibnite during the war. Wooden houses went up to accommodate the families. i5em eemteay Wdp Geld Co. Photo fines the late soar. shrnv the Bradley laming Cowpaup mil and smelter complex at Stibnite Valley Comity The village accumulated amenities including a four -room school and library, a service station, hospital, a recreation hall including bowling lanes, basketball court, bar, restaurant and free movies, the "Stibnite Miner" newspaper; and a ski hill with a rope tow. "It was a fun place to grow up," he said. "It was protected. If an outsider came in, you knew it." There was fishing and hiking until the snow arrived, and the long winters were spent skiing, playing basketball and volleyball and watching movies. "People could live there and not feel totally isolated," Bailey said. Long Winters Winter temperatures could dip to 50 degrees below zero at the town's elevation of 6,500 feet. Baileys father, Harold D. Bailey, wrote that the men of the town usually wore black woolen underwear under their heavy clothes year-round. "You could sleep in it and only when it could stand by itself would washing be required,' Harold Bailey wrote. H. D. Bailey was mine manager from 1939 to 1950 and the town's first postmaster. Baileys oldest brother, John, bom in 1926, was barely three years old when he rode in to Stibnite with his mother, Anne, on a dog sled. His sister, Betty, was the first child born in the new Stibnite hospital in 1943. Diesel engines and small hydroelectric plants energized the operation until 1944, when Idaho Power Co. completed a 100-mile hydroelectric line from the Black Canyon dam near Emmett to Stibnite. Residents would gather to play poker and bridge, or dance to tunes played by local miners who had musical skills. 'We had nothing like television and radio was questionable' Bailey said. Salmon coming up the river were thick and there was fresh meat in the forest. "Mother was the hunter, for deer, bear and elk," Bailey said. "One year, she made mincemeat out of bear meat It was pretty good." The mining operation at Stibnite closed down in 1952 due to tow post-war prices for the strategic metals. The Baileys left in 1950. The company -owned houses were hauled out on flatbeds to other towns, including McCall, where "Stibnite houses' can still be found along Davis Avenue. Over the years, scavengers stripped the community and forest fires reduced most of what remained to ash. CORRECTION A story in The Star -News last week about the risks of pollution at the Golden Meadows Project being explored by Midas Gold Inc., contained incorrect information. The type of host rock at the project site containing arsenic and antimony provides a buffering capability which would reduce the risk of a form of pollution known as acid -rock drainage. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 4/12/2012 This week's front page stories Page 2 of 2 The story incorrectly said there was a high risk of pollution from acid -rock drainage at the site. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 4/ 12/2012 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold drilling finds `significant' gold, other minerals at Stibnite Company wil! accelerate exploration this summer BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. has found "significant' amounts of gold and other precious metals during exploratory drilling at its Golden Meadows Project near Yellow Pine, the company has announced. The Vancouver, B.C., company plans to accelerate its test -drilling this summer as it decides whether to begin full-scale mining at its claims in the historic Stibnite mining district in Valley County_ Coresamples from drilling so far shows strong indications of gold, silver, antimony and tungsten, said Stephen Quin, President and CEO of Midas Gold Corp. "We are pleased with the results," Quin said. "These holes were the first exploration holes drilled in this area in over two decades and were the result of our compilation of geologic and exploration data from as far back as the 1940s." The drilling planned for the rest of the year will focus on the Hangar Flats, West End and Yellow Pine areas, which are known to have mineral deposits, he said. Other sampling will seek precious metals in areas outside the known reserves such as the Scout Ridge area, where gold and antimony were discovered in the 1940s by federal agencies, Quin said Midas Gold currently has about 80 employees at work doing exploration work, including an office and warehouse at Lake Fork where core samples are examined. If extraction operations begin, the company said as many as 500 people could be hired over the next several years. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 5/3/2012 Star -News News Page_ Announcements Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold president receives mining medal Stephen Quin, president and CEO of Midas Gold, has been awarded the Sehyn G. Blaylock Medal by the Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum. Quin was awarded the medal in recognition of a career dedicated to the responsible and sustainable advancement and development of national and international exploration, a news release said. Stephen continues to demonstrate exceptional leadership, management skills and industry knowledge," said Peter Nixon, Midas Gold chairman of the board. Midas, based in Vancouver, B.C., is exploring the historic Stibnite mining district in Valley County for reserves of gold and other metals. The company cuffently has 60 people employed in test -core drilling at Stibnite and at its complex of buildings in Lake Fork and could employ as many as 500 people if full-scale mining begins, company officials have said. Back To Index/Menu http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/announcements_page.php 5/24/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 June 16 deadline noted for f 7id.,s. Gold environmental plan EV D1N GALLAGHER for The Star -News The public has until June 16 to comment on an environmental study on plans by Midas Gold Corp. to conbnue exploratory drilling for gold and other metals near Stibnite in Valley County. Since 200'', the Payette National Forest previously has approved exploratory drilling year-to-year. The new study would cover future exploration over three years. The Vancouver B.C.-based mining company is operating in the area which has witnessed mining for more than a century for gold_ Thestudy is for drilling only, and a separate broader study would be needed before extraction and processing of ore could begin. Earlier mining in the Stibnite area sent pollution into the Salmon River and prompted a multimillion - dollar reclamation in past years. "What we have found in our analysis is some of our bigger concerns have been water quality, fish habitat, potential effects to roadless areas, potential effects to neighboring wilderness,' Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello said. 'The East Fork of the South Fork is the headwaters to the Salmon River Basin, which has very sensitive fisheries such as Chinook salmon and steelhead," Botello said, Rather than do all drilling before reclamation, Midas is incorporating the Payette's recommendations and doing reclamation as the exploration continues, he said. Wooden drill platforms are assembled from timbers and the drill rigs are dropped in by helicopter_ After drilling is completed, drill site are immediately replanted, Botello said. There is a myriad of permits needed from agencies including the Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency and the state for exploration and mining_ The Payette also has partnerships with three Native American tribes, and must be assured the drilling will not harm endangered species of plants or animals. The State Historical Preservation Office has an archaeologist assigned to preserve important artifacts found during the work. One problem that Midas faced last winter was arranging enough fuel for the drill rigs and other uses. The Payette worked with the company to arrange fuel convoys. Hauls will be made on the Johnson Creek Road during spring, summer and fall and on the South Fork Road in the winter. The mounts of bonds from mining companies to pay for reclamation has risen over the years, Botello said. I think our agency has evolved through our regulations to make for a more responsible extraction of minerals,' Botello said. 'We're definitely invested in the health of the ecosystem up there.' Information on the assessment is available at www.fs.fed.us/nepa. Comments can be e- nailed to Comments-intemabi-payette-krasselifs.fed.us or faxed to (208) 634- 0433. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 6/7/2012 The Star News Groups Page Page 1 of 1 r.-xe.s n.e err.0 Om* AIIDAS GOLD OPEN HOUSE - Bombe Chase of Lake Fork exanmses a core sample durmg au opts louse on Fndat held at die Ahdas Gold Corp complex of bindings at lake Fork Core tech Joey Smith explains to Chase low the core was taken from the Vancouver. B C , company's Gallen Meadows A mew near Yellow Pace and will be shipped to auodeer facilitytobe exammed for hires of gold sth'er, antimony sari tmgsten http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/groups_page.php 7/5/2012 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Years of exploration remain before Stibnite mining can begin BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Officials of Midas Gold Corp.'s have some bad news for some observers who expect mining to begin any day now at the company's site at Stibnite. The Canadian company has years of drilling and permitting ahead before the first ounce could ever be refined into a gold bar or piece of jewelry, Midas Gold President Stephen Quin said. As the current largest private employer in Valley County, the Vancouver, B.C., company already is having a large effect on the local economy. Midas succeeded in consolidating the property in the historical mining district along the Salmon River under one company. The drills have been running night and day in 2011 and 2012 in what the company collectively called the Golden Meadows Project. The Payette National Forest approved those activities in a series of one-year special permits. In May, the Payette released a study of the potential effects of exploratory drilling for the next three years that is now out for public comment. "We're expecting an answer in early September, a vision document, but it's not out yet," Quin said. Employment Could Hit 425 A preliminary economic assessment report done by CRK Consulting also was released on Tuesday to start to gauge the scale of the potential mining. The study estimates direct employment could hit 400 in a three-year construction phase and 425 during the subsequent 14-year operating phase. Salaries would be more than double in the average amounts reported in the 2010 census for Idaho, the study said. Midas Gold currently employs 146 people, including company workers and contractors. "The Golden Meadows Project represents a tremendous opportunity to create significant long- term, well- paid employment in an economically depressed part of Idaho," Quin said. Besides all the drilling and the reams of documentation involved is whether the gold price warrants getting digging into the ground. Last Sept 1, the price of gold was about $1,880 an ounce. At the close of last week, it was about $200 less. The latest assessment contemplates a price of $1,400 per ounce. "What we've got to do is refine what we do control, which is how much gold is there in the ground, what does it take to get it out of the ground, the cost to build the mine," Quin said. This spring, estimates were Golden Meadows might yield 5 million ounces of gold. But with drilling through the summer, those expectations now are 7.1 million ounces. "A rule of thumb is, generally, a world -class deposit is over 5 million ounces," Quin said. "It was a significant deposit even without the drilling in 2012." http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/6/2012 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Test drilling takes hard work in severe conditions BY DAN GALLAGHER faThe Star -News Working a drill rig on a wane summer day at the Midas Gold Corp's Golden Meadows Project at Stibnite is one thing, but the diamond bits continue to wind into the hard rock all night and in the middle of January. Field Operations Manager Richard Moses last week piloted a company SUV up a steep rocky road to a drill rig site on the West End mineral deposit. "There's an excellent exploration potential. That's why I joined it," Moses said. "I was surprised to see a property, especially in the lower 48 states, with this exploration possibility.' Midas Gold has years of drilling yet to accomplish. The company drilled 77,000 feet of test cores last year and about 100,000 feet so far this year, President Stephen Quin said. The company could spend about $30 million this year in the effort. "Our main focus this year has been drilling and environmental baseline studies, including groundwater, surface water, fish, wetlands," Moses said. "We've had as many as nine drills operating on the property. We have four today.' Preparation A Chore It is quite an operation to prepare a spot for drilling, especially on nearly vertical slopes. Timbers are brought in and built into a platform for the drill rig, which is then dropped in by helicopter. Depending on the depth and hardness of the rock, a drill team may work from five to 10 days per site. A crew from T&J Enterprises from Montana was recently working a drill site on the company's West End deposit. Bentonite clay is mixed into a slurry to keep water from the formation from pouring into the bore. The drill components are heavy to lift into place. The results are cylindrical core samples containing gold, silver and other minerals. Those cores are placed in numbered wood boxes that are made by Arrowhead Wood in Cascade. About 22,000 samples have been shipped to Nevada for assay so far, Moses said. The crews are currently concentrating on the Yellow Pine and West End deposits, because their access roads can get snowy and steep in mid -winter. Drilling activity eased up around April for "break up; the muddy time when the hillsides are more vulnerable to damage. After the drilling wraps up at a spot, the rig is flown away. The supports are taken apart and crews from Anderson Outdoor LLC come in to replace the vegetation to keep the slopes intact. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/6/2012 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 2 The Searchers Midas Gold workers seek evidence of gold, other metals "We're all excited to be up here. We all need to work." —Levi Anderson BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Working at Midas Gold Corp's Golden Meadows project in the Idaho backcountry means being away from family for weeks at a time, but it also represents a steady paycheck when that can be a scarce commodity in Valley County. The Vancouver, B.C.-based mining company is drilling thousands of feet of core samples to determine whether it will mine for gold in the historic Stibnite Mining District near Yellow Pine. Midas is years away from excavating what company officials are estimating are seven million ounces of gold below the ground at Stibnite. There are three deposits to concentrate on right now: Hangar Flats, West End and Yellow Pine. There are other possibilities as the drillers "step out" to evaluate ore outside those zones. 100 Workers on Site About 100 Midas Gold employees, drilling contractors, fisheries and archaeological experts, and support staff were working on -site in Yellow Pine and Stibnite during a recent Monday. The company has employed as many as 146 workers so far this year, with half from Valley and Adams counties. Poem for The Slab Mm by Dan Geaeilr LerT Anderson of Anderson Outdoor LLC m Donnelly struts up a water pump at hinlas Gold's l\'est End exploranon area at Shbmte Anderson son and Ins crew were plannng g ass and lodgepole pine trees as put of the company's redamaton efforts "My opinion is it's great. Obviously, Donnelly and McCall area are slow right now," said Levi Anderson of the Donnelly area. His company, Anderson Outdoor LLC, replants areas where drilling rigs have been operating on the slopes. Anderson's company is also growing grass and thousands of lodge pole pines in areas that were little more than granite. "We're ail excited to be up here," Anderson said. "We all need to work." Midas supplies more than 100 beds in a trailer camp, rentals and cabins in Yellow Pine, as well as the Stibnite camp. More dorm units are being built at Stibnite. Many of the rooms hold two beds - one for a day employee and one for the night worker, such as drillers laboring under the moonlight. "When you're working, he's sleeping and when he's sleeping, you're working," said Jane Suggs, Midas Gold community relations manager. "Generally, everybody works all the time. Because that's really what you do here." There are a variety of schedules, such as 20 days on, 10 days off. The drillers and other labor are 14 days on and seven days off, said Dave Williams, assistant site health and safety officer. The camps are largely areas to sleep, eat and rest. Creature Comforts But there are diversions for time off. The camps have satellite television, movie nights, gaming consoles, exercise machines and ping-pong tables. There is Intemet and telephone coverage to civilization. An NFL television package is in the works. "We'll likely be announcing the scores to the drillers," Suggs said. The employees also have been helping the "fish girls" -- biologists counting the numbers of bull trout and salmon, using diving masks and snorkels. It took one team only about five minutes to spot all the necessary "indicator species" of fish, showing the improved aquatic condition after years of rehabilitation at Stibnite and its old "Glory Hole" of mining waste, Suggs said. There is zero tolerance for alcohol or drugs on company property. Perhaps the biggest danger at Stibnite is the approach road, so drivers use radios to announce their positions at each milepost. The food supplied by Arctic Catering -- which cooks for work camps from Alaska's North Slope to the North Dakota oil fields -- is excellent, Anderson said. That can include rib eye steaks, salmon, prime rib, a salad bar and deserts. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/6/2012 Star -News News Page_Lead Story Page 2 of 2 "We stayed busy all last winter," said Loren Schuman of Cascade, who assembles the wooden platforms for the drills. "It was a pretty light snow year," Schuman said. "It's like anything. The conditions don't matter. It's the people you work with." The prospect of approaching winter is taken in stride. "They've done a good job of hiring people who are hardy, who don't mind it," Schuman said. "If someone shows up, you can tell in a couple days if they're going to pan out. It's good to be part of this." There are a dozen women on the project who face the same weird schedules and elements, but they feel the support, said geologist Daniela Anguita of Garden Valley "It's great being a woman up here because everybody is willing to help us," Anguita said. "It's like having 100 older brothers." Other women work as camp support, heavy equipment operators, van drivers and manning the "traffic shack," monitoring vehicles on the road to Stibnite. Living away from family for weeks at a time is a difficult prospect but Midas provides the comforts. It also helps feed those families back home. "We've had guys who quit because their wives couldn't take it," Anderson said. "You do what you can to work. It's great knowing a paycheck is there regularly." At left, Joe Seley of Arctic Catering serves up a hamburger for Fred Slikker at the Midas Gold workers camp in Yellow Pine. Below, Levi Anderson of Anderson Outdoor LLC in Donnelly starts up a water pump at Midas Gold's West End exploration area at Stibnite. Anderson and his crew were planting grass and lodgepole pine trees as part of the company's reclamation efforts. Photos for The Star-Ne Dan G llagher http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/6/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 ICL appeals drilling permits for Midas Gold project Conservation group worries about harm to streams, fish BY TOM GROTE The Star -News The Idaho Conservation League has filed an appeal of a Payette National Forest decision allowing Midas Gold Corp. to do test drilling for precious medals near Yellow Pine. In response, Midas Gold said it was disappointed the appeal was filed, and invited ICL to work with the company to resolve any differences. The Payette recently authorized construction of 139 drill pads and 178 drilling holes in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River. "The South Fork of the Salmon is one of the prized rivers of Idaho and already worth its weight in gold," said John Robison, ICL public lands director. "Idaho's clean water and prized fisheries deserves the highest level of scrutiny, every step of the way_" The South Fork of the Salmon provides critical habitat to prized fish like Chinook salmon and steelhead, but also bears the scars of past mining, Robison said. Taxpayer -supported cleanup efforts have been partially successful at reclaiming the area, he said. "Nonetheless, water quality testing reveals excessive toxic contamination," Robison said. "In fact, some waters in the area revealed arsenic concentrations over 1,000 times the safe drinking water standard." Additional exploration drilling could change groundwater Flows and water quality, he said. "Places like the South Fork are simply too special to once again tum into an open pit mining area, Robison said. "Idaho cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of history and allow out-of-state companies to threaten Idaho's water with toxic mine waste," he said. 'Uncompromising' A letter was sent on Monday to Robinson from Anne Labelle, a vice president with Midas Gold "We will be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of regulators, local citizens and other concemed parties that we can leave the local environment in considerably better shape than it currently is found," Lebelle said. She was disappointed to team of the ICL's appeal through its news release, which she characterized as "uncompromising." The company has taken steps to repair damage from previous mining, including planting 12,800 trees to reduce dust and sediment. The company also has applied dust suppression to about seven mites of public and private roads and has replaced or repaired many culverts and creek crossings to reduce sediment, Lebelle said. "Let me reiterate Midas Gold's commitment to an open and consultative approach to project design, risk mitigation and environmental enhancement," she wrote. "We hope we can continue our dialogue as we move forward on the project design." Midas Gold current employs about 146 people in Valley County, either directly or through contractors_ Ifthe company decides to begin mining, construction of the Golden Meadows project could employ 1,000 people. The work force would drop to about 400 when the project shifts into extraction and refining, company officials have said. http://www.mecallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 11 /21 /2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold predicts huge effect on Valley County if gold mine opens BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News An operating mine at Stibnite would have a monumental effect on the Valley County economy and way of life, Midas Gold Corp. officials told the Cascade School District board of trustees last week. Construction of the Golden Meadows project along the Salmon River could employ 1,000 people, while the work force there would drop to about 400 when the Golden Meadows project shifts into extraction and refining, Vice President of Legal and Sustainability Anne Labelle told trustees. The presentation was one of a several that Midas officials have been making to local govemment agencies about the Golden Meadows Project. Midas is the largest private employer in the county, including 115 people last year and expanding to 146 to date in 2012. The Canadian company could spend $50 million by the end of this year alone in drilling to determine the quantity and quality of ore there, Labelle said. Exploration, permitting and building the huge facility would take five years before Midas even begins digging. The focus is on gold, but antimony, a chemical used in alloys, from Stibnite could draw more attention in years ahead, said Bob Barnes, vice president for development. The Golden Meadows project is expected to last at least 14 years, trustrees were told. The need for residences for miners and their families could benefit the local real estate and construction industries, Bames said. While hundreds of people would work at Stibnite, employees would work their stints and then retum home, he said. Billions in Taxes Midas forecasts it would pay $2.2 billion in taxes, including $800 million to the federal government, $220 million to the state and $3 million to the county. That excludes payroll taxes, state sales tax and the workers' income tax. At full production, Golden Meadows would require twice the amount of power that is currently used by customers in Long Valley. To secure the gold, Midas will need to move an enormous amount of rock, Bames said. In order to extract one million tons of the ore for processing, 3.5 million tons of waste rock must be dealt with. Transporting the ore or concentrate to market means extensive truck traffic. Midas currently uses the roads along Johnson Creek or South Fork of the Salmon River and is considering a new access route along renovated mountain roads to keep the trucks away from public traffic and fragile streams, he said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 11 /21 /2012 Star -News News Page__Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold lays off 22 employees in Lake Fork, Stibnite Canadian company says it has met its schedule on drilling "We continue to maintain the site, continue drilling on a more limited basis and develop a plan of operations." — Richard Moses BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. this week laid off 22 people out of its workforce of more than 70 people in Valley County and made cutbacks in its orders to outside contractors. The layoff was due to the fact the company has met its schedule on its drilling program to explore for gold and other valuable metals at its Golden Meadows site near Yellow Pine, said Richard Moses, field operations manager for Midas Gold. The company has completed its drilling program for the year and had previously planned to scale back operations during the winter, Moses said. The success of the drilling this year means less exploration will be needed next year in existing areas, he said. The company plans to shift its exploration to new areas next year, but It has not yet received the needed permits from the Payette National Forest, he said. The 22 employees laid off were full time and performed tasks such as building and operating drilling pads, geological field work and supervision, Moses said. Twelve employees worked at Golden Meadows, four employees worked in the company's complex of buildings in Lake Fork and six moved between Lake Fork and Golden Meadows, depending on work, he said. Three of the employees were managers and were given a severance package, he said- The three also were required to sign nondisclosure agreements, which Moses said was "normal business practice." The laid off employees will be given first chance to reclaim their jobs when hiring resumes, he said. Some outside businesses contracted by Midas Gold have been told they will be needed less, including those who restored the drilling sites and others who provided excavation equipment, he said. 50 Still Working Midas Gold is committed the Golden Meadows project "for the long term," Moses said. "Through this slowdown, Midas Gold will still employ over 50 individuals as we continue to maintain the site, continue drilling on a more limited basis and develop a plan of operations for the possible development and operation of a mine should project economics warrant and permits be obtainable," he said. Three appeals have been filed opposing the Payette's decision to issue drilling permits to the Vancouver, B.C., company for new areas next year and in 2014. However, the company had planned for the time needed for any appeals to be processed, Moses said. Midas Gold began exploration in 2010 after assembling various mining claims in the historical Stibnite mining district into what the company called the Golden Meadows Project. The company is mainly after gold, but the explorations have also found significant deposits of silver and antimony, which is used in flame -proofing compounds and to harden lead. The company has not put a timetable on when exploration could be converted to full-scale mining. However, if mining does begin, the company estimated as many as 400 people would be employed during construction and as many as 425 jobs would be created during the estimated 14-year life of the mine. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 12/6/2012 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Two more appeals filed on Midas Gold drilling approval BY Tom GROTE The Star -New; Two more appeals have been filed in the wake of a Payette National Forest decision allowing Midas Gold Corp. to do more test drilling to search for precious metals near Yellow Pine. The Payette recently authorized construction of 139 drill pads and 178 drilling holes in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River. Appeals have been filed by the Nez Perce Tribe and by Cascade veterinarians Karen and Olin Blach. The Idaho Conservation League previously filed an appeal. The Forest Service is now reviewing the appeals. The possible results include rejection of the appeals, reversal of the original Payette decision or upholding the decision with new instructions. The Balchs claim in their appeal that the Payette did not conduct adequate studies about the "significant impact" of resuming mining in the historic Stibnite mining district. "This project would very likely have dire consequences on forest wildlife, fishes, and waterways," the appeal said. Potential pollution released by mining could threaten dwindling populations of Chinook salmon, bull trout and steelhead that occupy the East Fork and tributaries of Johnson Creek, the appeal said. "Just one fuel spill into the river could undermine the survivals of these endangered fish runs," the appeal by the Balchs said. The Nez Perce appeal said the Payette did not adequately take steps to preserve the tribe's treaty rights. Also, the environmental studies conducted by the Payette did not properly analyze the drilling's effects on groundwater or how additional traffic would lead to sediment going into streams, the appeal said. The danger of sediment flowing from roads into streams is especially high during early spring, when winter snow is melting and road conditions are poor, the tribe said. "During the spring break up period Chinook are still in the gravel and steelhead are actively laying their eggs in the gravel, both of which can be adversely impacted by increased sedimentation,' the appeal said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 12/6/2012 Star -News News Page Opinion Page 1 of 1 Viewpoint Dams, not mining, caused the decline of endangered fish BY DON BAILEY Although the Idaho Conservation League is a respected environmental organization in Idaho, its correspondence, in this case authored by John Robison ("Gold mining near Salmon River a real threat," Viewpoint, The Star -News, Nov. 29, 2012), sometimes suffers from exaggeration or outright fabrication in attempting to make a point. This article makes the claim that the salmon and steelhead runs on the Salmon River, and its tributaries, were "wiped our as a result of mining activities on the East Fork of the South Fork. However, the truth is that the activities which occurred in the 1930s through 1952 by the Bradley Mining Company had nothing at all to do with the disastrous decline in salmon or steelhead fisheries. In fact, I can recall (my family lived in Stibnite until June of 1950) with fond memories observing the robust and great quantities of spawning fish at several locations on Johnson Creek, a tributary of the East Fork, the East Fork itself, the South Fork and others of the many tributaries of the Salmon, including Big Creek and the Middle Fork of the Salmon. These returning migrations from the far Pacific Ocean continued to be self-sustaining until the construction of the four dams on the lower Snake River: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite, constructed from 1961 to 1975. And the new dams on the lower Columbia River, constructed in 1954 (McNary), 1957 (The DaIles), and 1968 (John Day) may also have had an impact, even though all of these new Columbia dams make use of fish ladders, which serve to allow both up -stream and down -stream migration of fish. So, to permit the recovery of the historical fish runs, the solution is quite clear, as has been proposed many times by others - remove the four lower Snake dams! Although it is true that mining does impact the terrain to a degree, which can be clearly seen at the location of the large pit in Stibnite, the activity does not necessarily lead to significant environmental degradation on water quality or plants. The most visible environmental impact at Stibnite occurred after the smelter was constructed in 1948. One of the metals which was removed from the milled and concentrated product during smelting was arsenic, which occurs naturally in the local rocks. This smelter only operated for about four years before the entire operation was shut down. At that time the vegetation uphill from the smelter stack was severally impacted, but has since largely recovered. The project planned by Midas Gold for the area does not Include the construction of a smelter, but will use a milling and refining process similar to that used by Bradley. VUrth modem waste -water cleansing techniques, however, the milling pollutants which were placed into the watershed by the Bradley operation will be significantly reduced or removed. Midas Gold has committed to a very rigorous and thorough reclamation of any new activities and even cleaning up and repairing to a reasonable degree the older activities. Also, note that claim that the "fully developed mine would be a sprawling open -pit, cyanide vat leach mine" is entirely preposterous! Nothing could be further from the truth. Midas Gold, atthough proposing to use the open -pit method of mining at three locations (where mining has occurred in the past), has no plan at all to use cyanide in the processing (referred to as "heap leaching") to recover metallic gold in the manner that is used in other locations and which was used in Stibnite by different companies in the 1970s through the 1990s. And I don't recall any time, during the Bradley operation from 1928 to 1952, when a truck spilled diesel into the river. However, an accident did occur on Johnson creek, near the "Twin Bridges' south of Yellow Pine, where a truck carrying soda ash did go off the road into the water; the principal injury was to the occupants of the truck, and the water quickly diluted the chemical with no significant or lasting environmental damage. Midas Gold is proposing to construct another road into the Stibnite mining area in order to bypass the more vulnerable sections of the tributaries, hence reducing the chance of any other accidental spills into the waters. Thus, it seems to me that the Idaho Conservation League, and other environmental organizations, and the public would do well to insist on holding the mining companies to their word to do everything technically achievable to not further damage the watershed or plant or animal life, and even repair past damage to a reasonable extent rather that resort to "scare" tactics or fabrications to make a point Perhaps, then, any new mining activities will set the standard for how to recover needed metals from our public lands with minimal damage to the local or downstream environment. In the coming months, as Midas Gold continues exploration activities and, possibly, comes to a decision to apply for mining and processing permits, the public, including the ICL and other concerned organizations, will actively and constructively participate in the planning of the proposed mining activities. Perhaps any new mining in the Stibnite area will then become an example of what is possible to achieve in the extraction of precious or strategic metals from the ground and, at the same time, protect and even repair the local environment. (Don Bailey is mayor of McCall. He lived at Stibnite from age one month to age 13.) http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/opinion_page.php 12/6/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Gold Road Midas Gold plans to build new access to Stibnite mining area BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News A new access road to the back country near Yellow Pine is being considered by Midas Gold Corp. if full-scale mining ever begins. The access road would be the first major improvement to the road system east of McCall since the current roads were improved during World War II. The new road is being considered to keep heavy truck traffic, including fuel trucks, away from rivers that contain endangered fish species. The Vancouver, B.C., company is currently conducting exploratory drilling to identify the amount of gold that exists in the historic mining district along the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River. Currently, vehicles headed to the Golden Meadows project travel either from Landmark down Johnson Creek to Yellow Pine and east to Stibnite, or down the South Fork Salmon River Road, then head east to Yellow Pine. Map coon, 61;; G"Id Corp Map shows possible raves for a new access road being considered by hhdas Gold Cory to serve its Golden Meadows protect near Yellow Pine The road from Yellow Pine to Stibnite was a rough trail when it was completed in the 1920s, said Rocky Chase, manager of engineering for Midas Gold at Golden Meadows. During the winter of 1940-41, the route was reconstructed and paid for in part by the Forest Service under orders from the War Department, Chase said. The nation needed year-round access to the strategic antimony and tungsten minerals being produced from the Stibnite mines, he said. "The proposed route would be the main access for the mine site should our ongoing studies indicate the project is viable and would be open year-round," Chase said. Safety Concerns Creating a new route would allow for two lanes of traffic for Midas trucks hauling concentrate, supply trucks and personnel. The new road would eliminate mining traffic through Yellow Pine, move it away from Johnson Creek and the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River, and provide a more uniform grade for Midas Gold traffic. "We are constantly looking for ways to improve transportation, provide for public transportation safety in the area for all road users, and of course, we make every effort to reduce the risks of impacts to the environment," Chase said. The company's preferred route would go down Johnson Creek to about halfway from Landmark to Yellow Pine. It then would turn onto an improved Trapper Flat Road to meet up with the old Thunder Mountain Road as it comes through Trapper Meadows and into Stibnite from the southeast. Another alternative would follow Johnson Creek farther north to near the Johnson Creek Airport There, it would tum up Riordan Lake Road, go over the hill into the Meadow Creek drainage and into Stibnite from the southwest. A third alternative would be a combination of the Trapper Flat and Riordan Lake routes. The new route would have a gravel surface and average about 20 feet wide, he said. Guard rails and berms would be used as needed and the maximum planned grade would be 10 percent. The new route would top out at an altitude of about 8,650 feet. Full Review Midas Gold would submit the route for the new road as part of its mining plans if current exploration work justifies full-scale mining. The plan would be subject to environmental studies by the Payette National Forest and be open to public comment. The preferred alternative would cost about $38 million to build, Chase said. The new road likely would be open to all traffic and not just vehicles headed to Golden Meadows, he said. Its ownership and maintenance would fall to the Forest Service or Valley County once mining is completed. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 1/'/2013 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Payette halts Midas Gold plans to expand exploration Forest Service agrees with appellants' that more study needed BY TOM GROTE The Star -News The Payette National Forest has cancelled its earlier approval for Midas Gold to expand its exploration for gold and other metals near Yellow Pine. The Payette reversed its previous decision made on Oct. 1 and agreed with those who filed appeals that more study is needed about the environmental effects of exploratory drilling. The decision will have no immediate effect on the plans by Midas Gold to continue its search in the historic Stibnite mining district of Valley County, Midas Gold President and CEO Stephen Quin said. The work hatted by the Forest Service was not scheduled to start until after July 1, Quin said. Also, the permits sought only affect areas on national forest land that are outside the three main deposits drawing the most attention by the company, he said. Previously approved drilling on national forest land and private land controlled by the Vancouver, B.C., company will resume this month, he said. Midas Gold applied to the Payette to set up 139 drill pads in 26 areas as well as built 1/3 mile of access road, a water line and a rock source. That application was approved in October, but was appealed by the Idaho Conservation League, the Nez Perce Tribe and Olin and Karen Balch of Cascade. Unknown Hazards The ICL appeal focused on the unknown hazards of underground drilling near streams where endangered species of fish live. More information was needed on whether drilling might release pollution into the groundwater that in tum could flow into the streams, the ICL appeal said. The Payette Forest agreed and will now study that question, but there is no estimate on how long such a study will take, Payette Acting Public Affairs Officer Cassandra Kollenberg said. Midas Gold was ready to provide that information to the Payette, Quin said. "We agree with the decision to ensure that required information supports the decisions reached," he said. "Appeals of process and the related agency reviews of the basis for their decisions are a normal part of the permit approval process." The ICL supports the Payette's reversal, said John Robison, public lands director for the conservation group. The Balohe welcomed the decision, noting that the public will again be asked to comment on the project. Midas Gold began exploration in 2010 after assembling various mining claims in the historical Stibnite mining district into what the company called the Golden Meadows Project. The company is mainly after gold, but the explorations have also found significant deposits of silver and antimony, which is used in flame -proofing compounds and to harden lead. The company has not put a timetable on when exploration could be converted to full-scale mining. However, if mining does begin, the company estimated as many as 400 people would be employed during construction and as many as 425 jobs would be created during the estimated 14-year life of the mine. In December, the company laid off 22 people out of its workforce of more than 70 people in Valley County and made cutbacks in its orders to outside contractors. The layoffs were due to the fact the company has met its schedule on its drilling program, company officials said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 1 /10/2013 Star -News News Page_Announcements Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold Corp. fills top jobs for Golden Meadows Projects Midas Gold Corp. has made several key management appointments related to its Golden Meadows Project in Valley County. Bob Bames has been named chief operating officer, John Meyer has been named vice president of development and Rocky Chase was named manager of regulatory affairs, a news release from the Vancouver, B.C., company said. The appointments reflect the changing roles of Bames, Meyer and Chase as the Golden Meadows Project continues exploration for gold and other metals in the historic Stibnite mining district near Yellow Pine that could lead to a mining operation, Midas Gold President and CEO Stephen Quin said. "Bob's experience in operations, permitting and mine development, John's in project engineering and development, and Rocky's in mine closure and reclamation are a tremendous asset to the company in ensuring that we have a sound, well -designed and practical project as we advance our studies and once we enter the permitting process," Quin said. Prior to joining Midas Gold in September 2011, Bames was vice president of operations with Capstone Mining Corp- and was responsible for Capstone's mines in Yukon and Mexico. Meyer was appointed development manager of the Golden Meadows Project in January 2012 and has been managing the design and field operations teams. Going forward, he will be focused on the design and engineering aspects and will work closely with the team preparing the plan of operations. Chase previously was the manager of engineering for the Golden Meadows project and joined Midas Gold in September 2012. Prior to joining Midas Gold, he was the North American Manager of Closure Properties for Barrick Gold of North America, based in Salt Lake City. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/announcements_page.php 1 /24/2013 Star News News Page_Announcements Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold Corp. fills top jobs for Golden Meadows Projects Midas Gold Corp. has made several key management appointments related to its Golden Meadows Project in Valley County. Bob Barnes has been named chief operating officer, John Meyer has been named vice president of development and Rocky Chase was named manager of regulatory affairs, a news release from the Vancouver, B.C., company said.. The appointments reflect the changing roles of Barnes, Meyer and Chase as the Golden Meadows Project continues exploration for gold and other metals in the historic Stibnite mining district near Yellow Pine that could lead to a mining operation, Midas Gold President and CEO Stephen Quin said. "Bob's experience in operations, permitting and mine development, John's in project engineering and development, and Rocky's in mine closure and reclamation are a tremendous asset to the company In ensuring that we have a sound, well -designed and practical project as we advance our studies and once we enter the permitting process," Quin said. Prior to joining Midas Gold in September 2011, Barnes was vice president of operations with Capstone Mining Corp. and was responsible for Capstone's mines in Yukon and Mexico Meyer was appointed development manager of the Golden Meadows Project in January 2012 and has been managing the design and field operations teams. Going forward, he will be focused on the design and engineering aspects and will work closely with the team preparing the plan of operations. Chase previously was the manager of engineering for the Golden Meadows project and joined Midas Gold in September 2012. Prior to joining Midas Gold, he was the North American Manager of Closure Properties for Barrick Gold of North America, based in Satt Lake City. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/announcements_page.php 1 / 17/2013 This week's front page stories Page t of i ICL waves red flag about Midas Gold other Idaho mining operation. 50 people attend presentation in Cascade by conservation group BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The exploration of Midas Gold Corp. at Stibnite is near valuable waterovays, which makes it difficult for the Idaho Conservation League to support it, an audience in Cascade was told last week. The session at The Ashley Inn was hosted by ICL Public Land Director John Robison on Jan. 30 and attended by about 50 people. Robison discussed the ICL's view on several mining operations, including Atlanta Gold's operation north of Boise, the Thompson Creek molybdenum mine near Challis and the CuMo exploration near Idaho City in addition to Midas Gold. Some attendees supported the creation of jobs that such projects bring while others cautioned how mining at Stibnite might affect salmon and steelhead. Midas Gold, of Vancouver, B.C., has been doing exploratory drilling for gold and antimony at Stibnite, which has seen a century of mining in the Salmon River drainage. The ICL successfully appealed the next phase of drilling, saying clean water must be adequately protected to sway its opinion. No Excavation Now Midas is currently exploring, and not excavating, the amount of gold to be found at what the company calls its Golden Meadows Project, Field Operations Manager Richard Moses told the attendees. After several environmental assessments, the construction phase could employ about 1,000 people at its peak, dropping back to 400 jobs during the expected 14-year span of excavation, Moses said. "We want to see rivers reclaimed, we want to see them restored, we want to see salmon retum to places," Robison said. "We also want to see mines if they're developed in places that have been previously mined, previously impacted. Instead of going into the wilderness, go to someplace else," he said. Robison cited a study that found 76 percent of mines studied had experienced problems that affected water quality even though their environmental studies predicted no problems. its not the mining groups being untruthful or Department of Environmental Quality or Forest Service trying to pull a fast one," he said. "They are complicated operations, meaning you need a buffer or safety margin when you look at these projects.' Tons of rock are milled to extract the gold, but other materials such as arsenic and cadmium are also exposed and must be dealt with to prevent pollution, Robison said. The federal government spent $13.5 million to clean up after previous mining at Stibnite, but Midas is currently renovating the areas where drilling has taken place, according to information distributed by Midas at the meeting. The company will post an extensive bond to ensure reclaiming the tailings and waste dump material, and reestablishing the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon for fish passage, the company materials said. The company has spent $50 million in 2012 on drilling alone, with the potential of unearthing more than 5 million ounces of gold plus the strategic mineral antimony, the materials said. "Is this an opportunity to clean up some of these places? Possibly,' Robison said. "Or is there the possibility you could even make it worse?' http://www.mecallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 2/7/2013 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold revises plans for exploratory drilling ICL still worried about groundwater pollution BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Inc. has filed a new plan to drill more exploratory holes at its Stibnite mining claims that the company hopes will satisfy critics of earlier plans. A Payette National Forest study of the new plans has been released and is open for public comment until May 17. The new plan comes after the Payette in January cancelled its earlier approval for Midas Gold to expand its exploration for gold and other metals at the Stibnite area near Yellow Pine. The Payette reversed its previous decision made on Oct. 1 and agreed with those who filed appeals that more study is needed about the environmental effects of the drilling. A community meeting to discuss the new plan will be hosted by Midas Gold at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Cascade American Legion Hall. Among those who filed appeals of the original plan was the Idaho Conservation League, which said there were unknown hazards to underground drilling near streams where endangered species of fish live. Discussions Continue The ICL and Midas Gold have been meeting to discuss the new exploration plan but have not yet come to an agreement, ICL Public Lands Director John Robison said. Midas Gold, with headquarters in Vancouver, B.C., wants to set up 139 drill pads in 26 areas as well as build 1/3-mile of access road, a water line and a rock source. The new proposal clarifies the protective measures Midas Gold plans to build into its drilling program, company spokesperson Jane Suggs said. "A number of (the ICL's) concems were expanded upon and protective measures to be implemented by Midas Gold were either described in more detail, modified or augmented," Suggs said. Midas Gold will work with the ICL "in order to help us better understand their concems, and thus clarity the mitigation and monitoring we intend to put in place," Suggs said. Midas Gold currently has 45 workers at either Stibnite or its offices in Lake Fork. Half are company employees and half work for contractors, Suggs said. Fifteen additional employees are located in Boise, Spokane and Vancouver. The company has not put a timetable on when exploration could be converted to full-scale mining. However, if mining does begin, the company estimated as many as 400 people would be employed during construction and as many as 425 jobs would be created during the estimated 14-year life of the mine. In December, the company laid off 22 people in Valley County and made cutbacks in its orders to outside contractors.The layoffs were due to the fact the company had met its schedule on its drilling program, company officials said. The Payette study of the new plan can be seen at the Krassel Ranger District office at 500 N. Mission St. and online at www.fs.fed.us. Questions can be made to Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello at 634-0601 or abbotello@fs.fed.us. Comments can be hand -delivered to the Krassel district office or mailed to Botello at 500 N. Mission, McCall, ID 83638. Comments can also be submitted by FAX to 634-0433 or e-mailed to comments- intermtn-payette-krassel@fs.fed us http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 4/22/2013 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 3 4//k-7/3 Lead Story LEAD STORY — EDITION OF THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013 Main News Opinion Arts/Events ICL raps Midas Gold plan Outdoors/Rec Sports/Schools Of Record Public Lands Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices Current Edition Company plans 50046ot-tall dam to hold tailings "If you're going to dig a bunch ()tholes you have to have some pla, dirt." John Robison BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The Idaho Conservation League opposes a plan by Midas Gold Corp. to t divert water from the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River if gal( Yellow Pine. The dam would store tailings from mining behind it, while the East Fork wi to allow excavation of the river bed, according to a preliminary plan posted I "It's a nonstarter," said John Robison, the ICL's public lands director. The plans for the dam and diversion are preliminary and have not yet bee National Forest, Midas Gold Vice President Anne LaBelle. The Canadian company outlined a possibility of a tailings dam at its Gold€ Yellow Pine in a preliminary economic assessment. "They haven't proposed it to the Forest Service, but they have proposed i1 Robison said. "If you're going to dig a bunch of holes, you have to have son dirt." The ICL successfully appealed plans by Midas Gold to expand its explora protests to the company applications to the state for water rights in case mii "It is for the investment community," LaBelle said of the economic assess? into whether we can mine the area economically. It is an investment tool." Comments from the community and groups like the ICL will be used for fu "We're not proposing mining," she said. "We're not quite there yet. We're I put a mine in there." Drilling and studies could take up to two years, LaBelle said. If an extractii environmental study by the Payette could take three to five years, she said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/archive_2013/04_25_13_ webedition/Copy%20oP%... 5/28/2013 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 2 of 3 Liner and Rock Under the current plan, the dam would be made with excavated heavy wa liner. Some tailings would be mixed with water to create a slurry that would be l the dam. If the tailings are kept saturated, they would not generate a larger dischan run the risk of being released, Robison said. "We're more comfortable with dry stacking the tailings, the concept of putt and the river," Robison said. The plans described in the assessment are just one option, said John Me development for Midas. The proposal would see Midas divert the East Fork through a 10-foot wick long along the east side of the pit. During mining, the tailings from the processing plant would be treated anc They would be moved through a pipeline to a storage facility southwest of tl Meadow Creek valley. The pipe would have containment around it in the event of a spill. The slue synthetically -lined reservoir. Excess water in the holding area would be pumped back to the processin! processing was stopped, the excess water from the tailings would be evapc standards. The facility would then be capped by rock and soil, then replanted. Meadc to pre -mining conditions, the proposal said. "We've been telling Midas that currently, the footprint is too big and the loc repository is a great bit of concern to us," Robison said. "Resealing it so it's much smaller means a smaller disturbance and smallE tailings to deal with," he said. ICL, Nez Perce protest Midas Gold water rights applications at Stibnite BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The Idaho Conservation League and the Nez Perce Tribe have filed prote Gold Corp. for water rights at its Golden Meadows project near Yellow Pine Both groups submitted their protests to the Idaho Department of Water RE that the water use at the proposed Golden Meadows Project is not in the pt., "We are concerned that Midas Gold's water use will reduce critical stream pollutants in an area that serves as important habitat for Chinook salmon, s John Robison, the ICL public lands director. The applications were submitted early in order to have them in hand if gol area, Midas Gold Vice President Anne LaBelle said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/archive_2013/04_25_ 13_webedition/Copy%20of%... 5/28/2013 Star -News News Page_Lead Story Page 3 of 3 "We did put in a water rights application because the process to start take "We put in a very broad -based application because we don't know what the future." She called the protests "good and necessary." "That's their job, and that's fine," she said. Last fall, the ICL successfully appealed the Payette National Forest's appi expand its exploration for gold and other metals at the historic Stibnite minir Midas has filed a new drilling plan and the public has until May 17 to coma Year's Delay Predicted The protests could delay the granting of water rights by a year or more, sz supervisor for the water resources department's regional office in Boise. The first step after a protest is filed is to try to bring the opposing parties t( differences, a process that could take months, he said. If negotiations fail, then a formal hearing on the protest is held, which mee months, he said. A few months more would be needed for the hearing officer to issue a dec could ask for reconsideration, Lester said. Once a final order is issued, eith( decision in court. Midas Gold has been using a series of temporary water rights for explorat "The protests do not affect our ability to continue exploration work," she s� The company is seeking rights to one cubic feet per second of water year mining, as well as two cfs from surface water. The protests claim is the potential for groundwater to contain heavy metal from past mining. The most recent mining from the 1980s used a cyanide h, recover gold from low-grade ore. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has documented antimony, ar other materials in the Stibnite area, the protests said. "If the groundwater does have elevated contaminate levels and is brought eventually be stored so that it does not enter surrounding surface water?" tf Fish listed under the federal Endangered Species Act have been docume South Fork of the Salmon River, in Sugar Creek and in Meadow Creek, the Reducing the flow on a small creek in the summer can raise the water ten any cold -water aquatic life, the protest said. © Copyright 2009-2013 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/archive_2013/04_25_13_webedition/Copy%20of%... 5/28/2013 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 5 Lead Story TOP NEWS STORIES—THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013 Main News Opinion Arts/Events Outdoors/Rec Sports/Schools Midas Gold says it welcomes critics of Golden Meadows Of Record Spokesman says community support is vital for project's success Public Lands Groups Info Desk Announcements Public Notices Current Edition "We want to hear what the better ideas are. Anne Labelle BY DAN GALLAGHER ror'rhe Star -News Midas Gold is intentionally moving in reverse as it works toward gaining permission to mine its Gok Pine, its officers told a community meeting in Cascade last week. The Canadian company said it also is listening to the advice from its greatest foe so far, the Idaho "Before, we prepared a plan of operations based on technical studies," Vice President Anne Labelle Legion Hall. "Then, when you're in the environmental impact statement stage, you get input from the communiti groups," Labelle said. "Our goal is to do that now. We want to hear what the better ideas are." "We understand as a modern mining company that if the community does not want a project, it will The ICL earlier filed a successful appeal over the original plan filed by Midas Gold with the Payette exploratory drilling at the historic Stibnite site. Midas then submitted a new plan for exploratory drilling that is open for public comment until May 1 The conservation group and the Nez Perce Tribe also has filed protests with the Idaho Department company's applications to use some groundwater and surface water for its mining. 292,000 Feet Drilled Midas has drilled 292,000 feet of holes since 2009 to assess the project's gold and antimony prosp operations manager. So far, the company has been drilling on private land with a state permit and does not need Forest federal agency is inspecting the drilling, he said. The current drilling plan out for public comment would allow another 176 drill holes on federal land, Drilling was stopped March 27 due to wet spring conditions but could resume in mid -May or June, I Research has been conducted on the possible presence of wolverine, lynx and fishers near the mil The company will continue groundwater and surface water studies, baseline evaluations of wetlanc "We'll continue on into December. That's our plans for this year," he said. Midas Gold released a preliminary economic assessment last fall which evaluated mining Golden processing ore and installing power lines, chief operating officer Bob Barnes told the Cascade meetir But the company also was compiling ideas from the public, Barnes said. Citizens Suggestions Yellow Pine residents had suggested an access road in the Burnt Log area which routes truck traffi Creek area, he said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/archive 2013/05 02_13 webedition/Copy'%20ot%20fp_stories_page.php 5/28/2(113 This week's front page stories Page 2 ul 5 Midas also had considered first mining the Yellow Pine pit, then the West End deposit and later Ha changed, Barnes said. "Based on input from the ICL, we're looking at maybe a modified plan where you have a smaller pit said. "Do we need to mine the mine with that much waste?" ICL Public Lands Director John Robison has warned that Midas Gold has talked about building a 5, as well as rerouting the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River through a pipe as part of fut A mining consultant for Midas Gold told the Cascade audience that the company has a conceptual be returned to its original condition whether or not the company carries through on its expected 14-y( "We looked at the whole project," said Rick Richins of RTR Resource Management in Boise. "We c activities including backfilling, hauling in topsoil, reforestations, etc." The current bonding estimate for restoration is $55 million, but that number could change as work F This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold sells off 10% of company to raise funds Move ensures work can continue through 2014 BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. has sold 10 percent of the company to another Canadian firm in order to raise enough money to continue looking for gold near Yellow Pine through next year. Midas Gold shares valued at $9.3 million were sold last week to Teck Resources Limited. Both companies have headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. On its websde, Teck Resources Limited describes itself as a diversified resource company committed to responsible mining and mineral development. The company's main focus is on copper, steelmaking coal, zinc and energy, the website said. The transaction comes about two months after Midas Gold sold a 1.7 percent share of future revenues from gold, silver and antimony to Franco -Nevada Corp., of Toronto, for $15 million. The two deals mean Midas Gold now has about $54 million in either cash or working capital to continue its exploration of its Golden Meadows project at the historic Stibnite mining district of Valley County east of McCall, a news release said. The Franco -Nevada deal ensured exploration could go on into 2014, while the Teck Resources deal means work can continue throughout 2014, said Stephen Quin, president and CEO of Midas Gold. Gold -mining stocks have been hard hit by reports from other companies of production costs that were higher than expected, with gold yields that were lower than expected. The stock for Midas Gold was trading at 79 cents per share this week, down from a high of $4.85 per share in January 2012. The deteriorating market conditions and the need to continue spending money to search for gold led Midas Gold to "top the treasury now as opposed to risking depleting it and market conditions remaining weak," Quin said. Midas Gold currently has 22 full-time employees at either Stibnite or its complex of buildings at Lake Fork. The company also has 21 contract labor employees at both locations, a company spokesperson said. Drilling of core samples at Golden Meadows will continue into the fall, Quin said. Meanwhile, the company will continue doing engineering and design work out of its Boise office on environmental studies and for restoring areas at Golden Meadows that were disturbed by past mining, he said. The company has said it spent $46 million in Idaho in 2012, of which $42 million was spent in Valley County. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 7/11/2013 The Star News Groups Page Page 1 of 1 Ph... h KmveW A..mvs ALL THAT GLITTERS - Members of the Mooney family of AlcCall, from left. rani. 10. FaitceL 10, and Quinn, 6. practice their gold -panning skills last Thursday during au open louse at the Lake Fork offices of ARdas Gold luc The tub contained real sapphires, pyrite and gold&fres that the youths were allowed to keep. Visitors were able to tar the Caddies, including a warehouse when core scruples from to Midas Golds exploration of die historic Stibnite =ant district are examined for gold and other metals http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/groups_page.php 8/15/2013 Midas Gold sells 1.7% share of gold revenues to Toronto company BY TOM GRO'I'F The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. this week announced the sale of future revenues from its Golden Meadows proje company for $15 million. The Vancouver, B.C., company, has sold a 1.7 percent share of any revenues from gold, silver anc Toronto. The $15 million will be used by Midas Gold to fund its operations in Valley County through this yea' and CEO Stephen Quin said in an interview on Tuesday. Until now, Midas Gold has used funding from investors to bankroll its exploration efforts at Golden spent $46 million in Idaho last year, of which $42 million was spent in Valley County. Gold -mining stocks have been hard hit by reports from other companies of production costs that wE yields that were lower than expected, Quin said. The stock for Midas Gold was trading at 86 cents per share this week, down from $3.31 per share ; Selling more stock would only dilute the value of the shares owned by current investors, Quin said. "This funding allows us to keep advancing the project and prevents us from losing momentum and Drilling of exploratory holes has been suspended during the wet spring months, but likely will resun The company currently has 35 workers in Valley County, either working directly for the company or Results of explorations so far have shown good evidence of gold and other minerals at the Golden predict when the company would propose the start of mining. Franco -Nevada Corp. invests mainly in gold but also has interests in companies producing platinur company's website. Franco -Nevada will get the first chance to purchase similar revenue shares if Midas Gold decides t said. The agreement has a clause that says Midas Gold can buy back one-third of the revenue rights for This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Latest Midas Gold drilling plans draw objections ICL, Nez Perce worried about possible pollution BY TOM GROTE The Star -News A revised plan by Midas Gold Corp. to expand drilling to explore for gold and other metals near Yellow Pine has done nothing to win over its critics. On Friday, the Payette National Forest held a meeting between with Midas Gold and the critics over the latest round of objections to the Vancouver, B.C., company's plans in the historic Stibnite mining district in Valley County. Attending Friday's meeting in McCall were representatives of the Nez Perce Tribe, the Idaho Conservation League and Cascade veterinarians Olin and Karen Balch. Midas Gold also sent representatives to the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello said. The meeting was intended to resolve misunderstandings, find out what the critics want and find ways to resolve the objections, Botello said. The objections will be incorporated into the Payette's study of the Midas Gold drilling plan, after which Botello plans to make a decision on the request next month. Midas Gold wants permission to expand drilling in its Golden Meadows Project in order to set up 139 drilling pads in 26 areas on Payette forest land. More Testing Core samples from the drilling would be examined at the company's Lake Fork offices for traces of gold, silver and antimony. Drilling so far by the company has shown favorable concentrations of the metals, and Midas Gold wants to gather more samples before deciding whether to begin mining. The Payette approved the expanded drilling program last October, but then reversed its decision in January based on the objections of the same three critics who filed the new complaints. The previous appeals included worries over the unknown hazards of underground drilling near streams where endangered species of fish live. Midas Gold filed a new plan last spring, but the previous critics were not impressed. "The mineral exploration activities, if implemented, would adversely impact and irreparably harm the natural qualities of Payette National Forest and would degrade the watershed and wildlife habitat," the ICL objection said. The conservation group also remains worried that diesel fuel and gasoline that would be hauled to the project site in trucks might result in a spill into waterways and kill fish. The ICL wants the Forest Service to conduct a full-blown environmental study on the entire mining proposal rather than the more limited study conducted for the proposed drilling expansion. Tribal Fishing Areas The Nez Perce Tribe is worried about historical tribal fishing areas along the South Fork of the Salmon River, where Chinook salmon are listed as threatened by the federal government. "Any impacts on salmon ... will have a disproportionate impact on the Tribe due to their reliance on fish and the importance of fish to Tribal culture, spirituality and economy,' the objection said. Large amounts of traffic to and from the mining region could send choking sediment into the South Fork and nearby streams, the tribe's objection said. The Nez Perce are also worried about the possibility of a spill from hauling fuel to the Stibnite area and also wants a full-scale environmental study performed_ TheBalchs echoed the other objections, saying there was no guarantee there would be money to pay for any damage caused by future mining. "Damage to these areas would be extremely costly to public taxpayers who cherish these areas," the objection said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 9/12/2013 The Star News Groups Page Page 1 of 1 DEQ seeks comments on Midas Gold wastewater permit The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public comment on a draft wastewater reuse permit for Midas Gold, Inc. The permit authorizes the company to operate a wastewater treatment facility and reuse system serving the Golden Meadows Camp in the Stibnite -Yellow Pine Mining District near Yellow Pine It would allow reusing treated wastewater for toilet flushing, dust control, reclamation of disturbed sites, and subsurface distribution in the existing drainfield. As part of the permitting process, the company is required to show how it will address health and environmental concems, including methods of preventing contamination of surface and ground water. The draft permit specifies buffer zones, loading rate limits, and monitoring requirements established by DEQ to protect public health and the environment. Written comments on the draft permit will be accepted through Wednesday, Oct. 16 The draft permit and staff analysis are available for public review at DEQ's Office in Boise and on DEQ's website at i Jlip //www.deq.idaho.gov Submit comments electronically on DEQ's website or by mail or e-mail to C. Gary Carroll, P.E., DEQ Boise Regional Office, 1445 N. Orchard, Boise, ID 83706, gary.carroll@deq.idaho.gov http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/groups_page.php 9/ 19/2013 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold wants naming rights for Cascade Snorts Park. Midas Gold, Inc., wants to pay the city of Cascade to put its name on the Cascade Sports Park. Ronn Julian of Cascade told the Cascade City Council last week about the Vancouver, B.C.'s, company's proposal to pay $1,250 annually in exchange for naming the sports park Midas Gold Field. "One of the objectives is they want to be members of the community, especially in Valley County' said Julian, a retired ranger for the Boise National Forest who now does community relations work for Midas Gold "They want to be involved to help some of the nonprofits or some areas that may not get much funding," Julian said. "They want to be a good neighbor, be involved and increase their profile." Cascade Sports Park, located near the North Fork of the Payette River, is owned by the city and includes fields for softball, football and soccer. lithe agreement went through, Midas would install a sign along Idaho 55. Midas would have the first right of refusal to renew for up to seven years. The mining company suggests that at least 80 percent of the annual payment should enhance the fields, rather than go into maintenance or just the city's general fund, Julian said. One suggestion for the money is to replace the logs under the railroad car used for storage with a concrete pad, he said. Another idea is a fence to keep motorists off the field. Council President Debbie Haskins read a letter from Cascade teacher Karen Johnson, who suggested opening up the facility name yearly for bidding. Johnson said she could pay $1,300 a year to name it "Johnson & Johnson Field" to recognize her late husband, Mike Johnson. Council member Troy Huckaby said Midas Gold should understand the sports park is a humble facility as the city and school district have had limited funds to improve it over the years. "It's a small-town park," Huckaby said. "We do what we can for the dollars we have." Council member Judy Nissula said having two or maybe more parties interested in placing their name on the sports park is "new territory." The council tabled the matter until it could consult with the city's attorney. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 10/3/2013 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold gets permission to continue drilling Proposal had been held up by environmental concerns BY TOM GROTE The Star -News The Payette National Forest has approved a plan by Midas Gold Corp. to continue exploratory drilling in the Stibnite Mining District in Valley County for the next three years. "I am proud of my team and feel they have done a great job taking a hard look at the potential impacts this project may have on plants, animals, fish and water," Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello said. The approval allows the Vancouver, B.C., company to prepare to begin new drilling in the spring, field operations manager Richard Moses said. "Our objectives were the same as those of the regulators and other stakeholders - to ensure that our activities were conducted in a safe manner with careful consideration of any potential environmental impacts," Moses said. Midas Gold has been exploring for gold, antimony, silver and tungsten since 2009 on loth private and federal lands in the Stibnite area. The latest approval will allow drilling at the company's Golden Meadows Project at an additional 139 sites in 26 areas on Payette forest land. Core samples from the drilling would be examined at the company's Lake Fork offices for traces of gold, silver and antimony. Drilling so far by the company has shown favorable concentrations of the metals, and Midas Gold wants to gather more samples before deciding whether to begin mining. Winter Shutdown Midas Gold is shutting down its operations for the winter, Moses said. Staff at the Stibnite camp will be reduced to do basic maintenance and environmental studies, he said. A core staff at the company's Lake Fork offices will continue to do technical work, and the Midas Gold office in Boise will maintain its engineering and environmental employees, Moses said. During the next few weeks, Midas will be reducing staff by 22 people, leaving about 24 employees based in Idaho, he said. The Payette approved the expanded drilling program in October 2012, but then reversed its decision in January based on objections by the Idaho Conservation League, the Nez Perce Tribe and Cascade veterinarians Olin and Karen Balch. The appeals included worries over the unknown hazards of underground drilling near streams where endangered species of fish live. Midas Gold filed a new plan last spring, but the previous critics were not impressed The new objections included worries that fuel trucks that might wreck on the narrow roads into the project and spiil fuel into streams. Other worries were over possible damage by operations to the habitat of threatened Chinook salmon. Following review of the latest objections, the Payette added requirements for Midas Gold that are designed to further protect groundwater, Payette Public Affairs Officer Brian Harris said. http://www.mceallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 12/12/2013 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold optimistic on gold mining at Stibnite Company releases estimates on power needs, employee housing "We asked, 'Do you really need this many people on site?' "—Stephen Quin BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Midas Gold Corp, is moving forward with plans to extract gold from the Valley County backcountry, but there is no way of knowing when full-scale mining will start. "The regulatory process is not something, unfortunately, we can control," Midas Gold President Stephen Quin said last week at the company's Lake Fork office. "The more high -quality definitive information we give the regulators, the better." The Vancouver, B.C., company has spent $125 million so far to gauge the size of the ore bodies and seek permits to excavate from the historic Stibnite mining district near Yellow Pine. Exploration so far as shown large quantities of gold that can be tapped from traditional mining areas. As it continues its planning, Midas Gold has finned up some of its needs if mining does commence. Photo (or The Sem-Newa by Dan Gallagher Boh Miles, clnef operating officer for Midas hold Corp, and company President Stephen Quin examine core samples from the Golden Aleaclows operation at Stibnite at the company's Lake Fork office The mine estimates it will need 40 to 50 megawatts of electricity from Idaho Power Co. to run full production. By contrast, all customers of Idaho Power in Valley County use 30 MW of electricity in the summer and 65 M W during the winter, according to Idaho Power Co. Not generating power on site means less hauling of fuel and less chance of an accidental spill into streams and rivers, Quin said. Of the estimated 450 people who would be hired for the production phase, more would be able to live in towns rather than on site than previously predicted, according to the company. 20% In Town About 20 percent of the work force would live in local communities to boost home sales and everyday purchases by families. Those jobs include accounting, human resources, lab assaying, warehousing and other jobs. "We asked, 'Do you really need this many people on site?' " Quin said. "They can go home every night to their kids and there's a better lifestyle quality for them." The change also will reduce the amount of traffic in and out of the back -country location, also improving safety, he said. Midas Gold is looking at changes to optimize gold extraction but also benefit the environment. The company would not seek to squeeze every ounce of gold from its Hangar Flats site, one of three major sources of gold at what the company calls the Golden Meadows Project. The change would cut down on the size of the mining pit and waste rock and save costs without sacrificing too much profit, Quin said. Midas Gold is also looking at going back into the tailings left over from previous mining to extract gold with modem methods. "It's a win for the environment as you clean up that historical disturbance," Quin said. The company also is looking to locate its processing facility near the former townsite of Stibnite as opposed to a previous location that was closer to creeks and wetlands. The company continues to collect data to finally determine what level of mining it would conduct, or even begin excavating after the permitting process. One major factor is the gold price, which on Wednesday was selling for $1,302 per ounce. "We believe it's going to be positive or we wouldn't be doing it," Quin said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 4/17/2014 Star -News News Page_Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Proposed Midas Gold haul route would bypass streams, traffic BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. is leaning toward an access road to its proposed backcountry gold mine that would steer trucks away from streams with migrating fish es well as traffic to Yellow Pine. The company first considered routes that would bring its tracks from Warm Lake to Landmark and then down Johnson Creek Road before finally striking east to the mine site at Stibnite. But the company's new preferred route go overland on what is known as Bumt Log Road before dropping into Stibnite. The current route is probably not feasible when ore trucks start moving, company officials said. "It's along the river and very difficult, costly," Midas Gold Chief Operating Officer Bob Barnes said. "If you had any kind of problem, you can go off the road and in many instances, you're in the river." An earlier assessment considered paralleling Johnson Creek then striking east in the Riordan Lake area to the mine. But comments from the public, including Yellow Pine residents, favored moving the trucks away from Johnson Creek with its migrating salmon and steelhead, as well as cutting traffic through their community. "The particular advantage of Bumt Log is it's in the Johnson Creek drainage but presents no major crossing of Johnson Creek," Barnes said. "It is a Forest Service road and established and, relatively speaking, not a lot of work is needed on it. It's relatively flatter and higher in elevation." The company will work with the public and Forest Service for the best route environmentally and economically, said Richard Moses Midas Gold field operations manager. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 4/17/2014 __s Page 1 of 1 McCall accepts $50,000 donation from Midas Gold Renaming of Fainvay park deferred for later discussion "We have to take a little bit of heartburn in order to improve our environment and our economy." - Jackie Aymon BY TOM GROTE The Star -News I he McCall City Council last week accepted the donation of $50,000 from Midas Gold Corp. to renovate the baseball and softball fields at Fairway Park and to build restrooms and a concession stand. Lett undecided during last Thursday's regular meeting was what would be the new name of the park in return for the Midas Gold donation and for how long. That question will be decided after a formal donation agreement is drafted. Council members asked Midas Gold to suggest names for the park with the council having the final say on the name chosen. fhe council tentatively approved the donation at its April 24 meeting but asked for public comment on renaming Fairway Park. Comments ,ec.eived were split on the proposal. A provision should be made to remove the Midas Gold name if the company's planned gold mine near Yellow Pine violates environmental agreements, said Jeff McCune of Santa Barbara, Calif., and McCall. "Some scandal or environmental catastrophe could result in a community park asset stuck with a name with a bad history," McCune said. Glenn and Patty Jacobsen supported the renaming. "It is nice to see improvements without raising taxes on the locals," they said. Meg Lojek said accepting the donation would be a "sell out to private corporations." 'It is ... free advertising for them, a huge tax break and represents 'dirty money for the City of McCall," Lojek said. Midas Gold did not suggest renaming the park. That offer was made by McCall Parks and Recreation Director Dennis Coyle during negotiations for the donation. Mayor Jackie Aymon said she would prefer a name that Included both the company's name and the use of the park. "I like Midas Gold Sports Complex at Fairway Park," Aymon said. Balance Benefits While she understands the feelings of opponents, the mayor said the benefits of the donation also needs to be considered. "Sometimes I have to vote for things like snowmobiles, that 1 don't particularly like to vote for," Aymon said. "We have to take a little bit of heartbum in order to improve our environment and our economy." Council member Nic Swanson said the donation would "significantly improve our most used public park and make it something that we are proud of." Last Thursdays discussion came just after the council approved a city policy for accepting donations to the citys parks. The new policy says naming rights would be considered for anyone donating at least half of the land for a park or donating at least half the cost of construction. Naming rights would expire after 15 years, under the new policy. If the deal is finalized, the $50,000 from Midas Gold would be combined with other funds to complete $114,000 of improvements at Fairway Park, located off Davis Street near the McCall Golf Course. Those improvements would include: • A building housing a bathroom and a concession stand: $83,000. • New spectator sealing: $15,000. • Drainage and grading work on Field B: $7,000. • 28 tons of crushed lava rock for the infields on both Field A and Field B: $4,000. - Paving: $5,000. Currently, portable toilets must be brought in for tournaments, the infield surfaces cause balls to bounce dangerously, and geese swim in standing water on Field B, Coyle said http://vvww.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php !7' 5/30/2014 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Midas CEO: Payette Forest reversal will not affect plan Gold mining company likely will not need drilling that was taken back BY TOM GROTE The Star -News The sudden withdrawal by the Payette National Forest of approval for additional exploratory drilling for Midas Gold Corp. will not affect the company's plan, the company's president said. The withdrawal was "disappointing," but Midas Gold had no plans for further exploration this year, President and CEO Stephen Quin said. Last week, Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello sent a letter to the Vancouver, B.C., company saying the Payette was withdrawing its December 2013 approval to drill up to 139 exploratory holes on national forest land that is part of Midas Gold's Golden Meadows Project near Yellow Pine. "Unfortunately, at this time, it is necessary for me to withdraw the decision," Botello said in his letter without giving a reason. The Idaho Conservation League issued a press release last week claiming credit for the withdrawal, saying it was in response to a federal lawsuit filed in April by the ICL and the Nez Perce Tribe opposing the drilling. The Idaho Conservation League was concemed about a possible spill along the South Fork of the Salmon River and its tributaries on roads used to haul fuel and chemicals to the exploration site, the release said. 'The Right Decision' "While we appreciate the attempts by Midas Gold and the Forest Service to minimize impacts, the South Fork Salmon River is simply inappropriate for this scale of mine exploration or development," said John Robison, the ICL's public lands director. "Backing off is the right decision." Payette Public Affairs Officer Brian Harris said he could not comment due to the still -pending lawsuit by ICL and the tribe. In an interview, Quin said Midas Gold already had enough information from past drilling to prove there are substantial deposits of gold in Golden Meadows Project. The drilling that would have been done under the cancelled proposal would have been "icing on the cake," he said. Quin defended the company's fuel -hauling plan, noting the company had not had a spill since exploration began in 2010. Midas Gold continues to work in the Golden Meadows area gathering information to be used in the company's forthcoming proposal to the Payette to move from exploration to mining. That plan will include an alternative route for hauling fuel, along Burnt Log Road, that avoids the South Fork, he said. He touted the reclamation work already done by the company, including more than 22,000 trees planted in the former mining area. The company also plans to clean up hazardous buildings and materials left by previous mining companies. "Describing the project as pristine wilderness is not the case," Quin said. "There are a hundred years of mining, drill sites, town sites and smelters, and we're going to take on a lot of those." Mining Plans Pending Early versions of the mining plan should be ready by the end of the year, Quin said. However, he could not predict when mining would start because of the uncertainty of how much time the Payette will need to review the plans. Extracting gold from the region will be profitable as long as gold prices stay above $1,200 per ounce, Quin said. Gold was priced at $1,325 per ounce on markets Wednesday aftemoon. Meanwhile, Midas Gold has completed moving its Valley County offices from Lake Fork to Donnelly, Quin said. The company also shut down its warehouse in Lake Fork where core samples were examined for levels of gold and other precious metals. Those core samples have been put into storage in Cascade, he said. Midas Gold has spent an estimated $79 million in Valley County since 2010, according to company figures, The company employes 32 people in Idaho, with all but four of those based in the new Donnelly office, the company said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 7/3/2014 Star -News News Page Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold increases estimate of gold at Stibnite Estimates up 29%; 5.4 million ounces now predicted BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Inc. has increased by 29 percent the amount of gold the company predicts lies under the earth at the company's Golden Meadows project at Stibnite. The Vancouver, B.C., company now says as much as 5.4 million ounces of gold are present in three areas of the company's mining claims near Yellow Pine in Valley County. The value of that much gold, about 170 tons, would be about $5.5 billion at Wednesday's price of gold of $1,222 per ounce. In addition, Midas Gold suspects an additional 1 million ounces of gold worth $1.2 billion may located at their mining claims. The predictions come after examinations of the latest findings from test drillings that Midas Gold has been doing at the Stibnite site since 2012, according to information released by Midas over the Marketwired news release service. Core drillings totaling 27 miles of samples have been pulled from the earth during that time, the news release said. The company is exploring for gold in three areas within the Golden Meadows area, which is a consolidation of mining claims assembled by Midas Gold. Estimates of gold reserves increased by 52 percent at the Yellow Pine deposit while estimates were increased by 18 percent at the Hangar Flats deposit. Estimates at the West End deposit stayed about the same. The new estimates will be worked into a study by Midas on the best ways to extract gold from the Golden Meadows site. That study is due by the end of the year. When that study is finished, Midas will decide whether to submit a formal mining plan to the Payette National Forest. New Haul Route Company officials have pledged to do all they can to protect the environment, including hauling fuel along a new route that avoids the South Fork Salmon River, a habitat for Chinook salmon. The company has pointed to reclamation work already done in the area, including more than 22,000 trees planted in the former mining area. The company also plans to clean up hazardous buildings and materials left by previous mining companies. Midas Gold has spent an estimated $79 million in Valley County since 2010, according to company figures, The company employes 32 people in Idaho, with all but four of those based in the company's new Donnelly office. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/18/2014 Star -News News Page_Lead Story Page 1 of 2 Midas Gold forms Idaho company, names local directors Golden Meadows project now known as 'Stibnite Gold' "The Stibnite Gold Project name reflects the proud tradition of the project area and the promising future it holds." - Stephen Quin BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. has formed an Idaho subsidiary to oversee its gold exploration project in Valley County and named mostly Valley County residents to the new company's board of directors. The Vancouver, B.C., based company also announced it was changing the name of its Golden Meadows Project to the "Stibnite Gold Project." Midas Gold, Inc., is the name of Midas Gold Corp.'s wholly -owned Idaho subsidiary that will manage activities at the Stibnite Gold Project from now on, said Stephen Quin, president 8 CEO of Midas Gold Corp. "The best way for our project to reflect the needs and values of Valley County and Idaho is to have genuine representation from these areas at all levels of our decision -making process," Quin said. Local Residents Here are the board members of the new Idaho subsidiary: • Don Bailey: Bailey was first elected as a member of McCall City Council in 2005, where he served four terms over the following eight years, including two terms as mayor from 2010 until this year. Bailey was raised in Stibnite, where his father, Harold D. Bailey, was the company manager that designed the still -existing East Fork diversion tunnel known as the "Bailey Tunnel" at the Stibnite Mine in the 1930s. • Frank Eld: Eld served two terms as a Valley County commissioner and helped establish the Long Valley Preservation Society and Valley County Museum. He is a published expert on Finnish log construction. • Scott Davenport: Davenport is a McCall resident and founding member of the Valley County Economic Development Council. He owns The McCall Store and The McCall Candy Co. in McCall and The Cascade Store in Cascade. • Ronn Julian: Julian spent more than three decades with the Forest Service. In 1987, he moved to Cascade to take on the role of district ranger on the Boise National Forest, a position he held for the next 18 years until his retirement in 2005. • Kenneth Brunk: A Denver resident, Brunk is a long-time mining and minerals executive. He most recently served as chief executive officer of Midway Gold Corp. where he led the feasibility and construction of the Pan gold mine in Nevada. Idahoans Named Also, Boise residents Laurel Sayer and Keith Allred have been appointed to the board of directors of Midas Gold Corp. Allred is a partner at the Cicero Group, a 200-person strategy consulting and market research firm in Salt Lake City. He was the Democratic candidate for Idaho governor in 2010. Sayer serves as executive director of the Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts and also serves on the Idaho Non-profit Center Board of Directors. Previously, she spent more than two decades working with the Idaho congressional delegation, most recently as the director of natural resource issues and policy for Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. The decision to rename the company's exploration area the Stibnite Gold Project reflects the project's historic and local name and will maintain continuity with the history of mining district, Quin said. "For the past several years, we have heard repeatedly from the local community that everyone knows the project location as 'Stibnite; " he said. "The Stibnite Gold Project name reflects the proud tradition of the project area and the promising future it holds." 5.4 Million Ounces Midas Gold estimates as much as 5.4 million ounces of gold are present in three areas of the company's mining claims in the Stibnite area. The company is now working on a study that will outline the best ways to extract gold from the Stibnite Gold site. That study is due by the end of the year. When that study is finished, Midas will decide whether to submit a formal mining plan to the Payette National Forest for approval. Midas Gold has spent an estimated $79 million in Valley County since 2010, according to company http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 11 /26/2014 Star -News News Page_Lead Story Page 2 of 2 figures, The company employs 32 people in Idaho, with all but four of those employees based in the company's Donnelly office. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 11/26/2014 f �- _ /, (( • Midas Gold says Valley County project can be done Company will keep moving toward operating permits BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. officials said Monday that its studies justify spending $1 billion over the next 20 years to extract gold from the historic Stibnite Mining District in Valley County. Years remain before construction could begin on a mining and processing complex, but Monday's announcement is "a milestone to moving the project forward," said Stephen Quin, president and CEO of Midas Gold Corp. The Vancouver, B.C., company on Monday released its preliminary feasibility study based on four years of exploratory drilling and other studies in the Stibnite Gold Project near Yellow Pine. The study says the site has the potential to be one of the largest gold producers in the United States and could one day generate nearly 1,000 new jobs, Quin said. The study provides an overview of the project and gives insight into what mining at the site could look like during and after operations. Midas Gold will now show the study to regulatory agencies, local residents and others to get suggestions and make improvements. That process could last into the spring, Quin said. After that, the company will decide whether to file a plan of operation with the Payette National Forest, which would trigger an environmental review process that could last as long as five years, he said. If all permits required by Midas Gold are obtained, the construction phase would last about three years, Quin said. Once actual mining and processing begins, an estimated 4 million ounces of gold are expected to be produced over the 12 year life of the mine A large part of the study is devoted to how the site would be restored after the gold has been extracted, Quin said. Plans call for concentrating new operations on previously disturbed land and rehabilitating streams to allow fish into the upper watershed for the first time since the 1930s. "Construction on the Stibnite Gold Project would create more than 700 jobs, directly and indirectly, and when mining starts, that number could grow to 1,000 jobs," Quin said. The jobs the Stibnite Gold Project could create would typically pay more than double the state's average yearly salary, according to the company. During operations this could lead to a payroll of about $56 million per year. The full study can be viewed at www.MidasGoldCorp.com. //7//f//// ` .2/ z "Construction on the Stibnite Gold Project would create more than 700 jobs, directly and indirectly, and when mining starts, that number could grow to 1,000 jobs," Quin said. The jobs the Stibnite Gold Project could create would typically pay more than double the state's average yearly salary, according to the company. During operations this could lead to a payroll of about $56 million per year. The full study can be viewed at www.MidasGoldCorp.com. This week's front page stories Page 1 of 2 Midas Gold - By The Numbers Company reveals details on salaries, expected revenues BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Workers at the Stibnite Gold Project near Yellow Pine would eam 2-1/2 times more than the average annual salary in Idaho, according to Midas Gold Corp. That fact is among a variety of figures released by the Vancouver, B.C., company earlier this month. The figures were released at the same time Midas Gold officials announced there was enough evidence to justify spending $1 billion over the next 20 years to extract gold from the historic Stibnite Mining District of Valley County. The preliminary feasibility study says the site has the potential to be one of the largest gold producers in the United States and could one day generate nearly 1,000 new jobs. Environmental reviews could last as long as five years and construction would last about three years before any gold is extracted from the site. But if all goes as planned, here is sampling of what Midas Gold expects will happen: JOBS Midas expects the average salary of a mining employee to be $72,500 per year compared to the $28,500 average salary statewide in Idaho. During the three-year construction period, the company expects to hire 400 employees directly and contract with other companies for 300 more jobs. When gold mining begins in earnest, a process expected to last 12 years, there would be 500 people working directly for Midas Gold and 500 people working for other companies. The employees would work in shifts, with 250 on site at any one time. Cascade would be the hub of operations in Long Valley, with about 50 people working in human resources, accounting, assaying and warehousing. Total payroll is estimated to be $48 million per year during construction and $56 million per year during mining and processing. PROFITS The company expects to tum a profit even if gold prices continue to fall. The price of gold peaked at $1,900 per ounce in 2011 and was selling at around $1,200 per ounce Tuesday. During a briefing for potential investors earlier this month, Midas Gold Vice President for Development John Meyer said the company would make money as long as gold prices stayed above $1,100 per ounce. At one site, called the Yellow Pine Deposit, gold could be profitably extracted if prices plunged as low as $800 per ounce, Meyer said. TAXES CRIME SUSPECTS SOUGHT PI* um.r r tic.0 mew AT TOP: is a photo of a woman suspected of stealing a sweater worth $223 from Paul's Market about t p.m. Dec 23. McCall Police also said burglars broke into Ridley's Family Market at about 3:19 a.m. Christmas Day and stole an undetermined amount of merchandise. Anyone with information on any of these crimes should call 634-7144 and ask for Detective Koch. ABOVE: is a photo taken by a surveillance camera of a man suspected of using a drill to try and break into the night deposit box at Umpqua Bank in downtown McCall about u a.m. on Dec. 22. The suspect gave up after drilling for one hour and 16 minutes, the McCall Police Department reported. The company expects to pay plenty of local, state and federal taxes over the 15 years of construction and operation of the mine. The company expects to pay directly $329 million in federal taxes and $86 million in state and local taxes with up to $300 million paid by companies hired by Midas Gold. In total, the project is expected to result in $506 million in federal taxes and $218 million in state and local taxes over 15 years, according to company estimates. PRECIOUS METALS Gold is what Midas Gold is seeking the most, and expects to recover more than 4 million ounces of gold. The value of the gold is projected to bring in 94 percent of the revenue from Stibnite. But the company also expects to recover 100 million pounds of antimony, which is used to make flame -proofing materials, paints, ceramic enamels, glass and pottery. However, the value of antimony Is only expected to produce 5 percent of total revenues. A total of 2 million pounds of silver is also expected to be found with the gold and antimony, but is expected to make up less than 1 percent of the total value of all metals, according to company estimates. The price of silver was about $16.30 on Tuesday. PROCESSING http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 12/31 /2014 This week's front page stories Page 2 of 2 If processing starts, Midas Gold expects to spend $55 million to lease a fleet of haul trucks and loaders to feed the processing plant to be built on site. A estimated 22,000 tons of ore per day would be sent through the plant for crushing and extraction of gold using a self-contained flotation method. An estimated 98 million tons of ore are expected to be processed in order to produce the projected amounts of precious metals. OTHER MINES During its first four years, the Stibnite Gold Project would be fourth -largest gold mine in the country, according to Midas Gold. The Stibnite area has the eighth largest gold reserves of any gold mine in the nation, and the fourth highest grade of ore among all open -put mines in the U.S., company figures show. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 12/31 /2014 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Valley P&Z approves consolidated permit for Midas Gold uses BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Midas Gold Corp. last week received approval for a consolidated permit of its Valley County operations from the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission. The Vancouver, B.C. company submitted an updated application for one permit that describes activities at the Stibnite Gold Project near Yellow Pine as well as its rented office north of Donnelly and a storage area in Cascade. "We just wanted to corral everything and put it in one big package," said Kyle Fend, the company's environmental permit coordinator_ Forty-nine people are currently housed in Stibnite's man camp, which can accommodate 62 workers, Fend said. Adding another sleeper unit can bring the capacity up to 125, he said. The Donnelly offices are rented to Midas and are used for administration, Field Operations Manager Richard Moses said. Small items like engine oil or fan belts are kept in metal storage containers behind the building. "It's just for mineral exploration," Fend said of Midas' activities. "Any additional development will be dealt with an additional (permit)." A neighboring property owner to the Donnelly office notified the county that he had asked the previous building owners to install a screening fence on the north boundary of their land. "If we say they don't need that screen, a year and a -half down the road, Midas may have some drill steel stacked outside, and they're going to call us," commissioner Rob Garrison said. Moses replied that Midas contracts out drilling to another company which maintains its own materials at another location. "It looks busy, in an area where it's not busy," Commissioner Kathy Deinhardt-Hill said. The commission approved the permit, requiring a fence or row of trees this summer to screen off any stored materials as far west on the lot as they would be kept. Moving Forward Midas Gold officials announced in December there was enough evidence to justify spending $1 billion over the next 20 years to extract gold from the historic Stibnite Mining District of Valley County. The preliminary feasibility study says the site has the potential to be one of the largest gold producers in the United States and could one day generate nearly 1,000 new jobs. Environmental reviews could last as long as five years and construction would last about three years before any gold is extracted from the site. During the three-year construction period, the company expects to hire 400 employees directly and contract with other companies for 300 more jobs. When gold mining begins in eamest, a process expected to last 12 years, there would be 500 people working directly for Midas Gold and 500 people working for other companies. Midas Gold expects to recover more than 4 million ounces of gold, 2 million pounds of silver and million pounds of antimony, which is used to make flame -proofing materials, paints, ceramic enamels, glass and pottery. During its first four years, the Stibnite Gold Project would be fourth -largest gold mine in the country, according to Midas Gold. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 2/19/2015 Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1 ABOUT TOWN MIDAS COLD DONATES TO MV LIBRARY - Midas Cold Corp. has donated S2,soo toward a project of the Meadows Valley Public Library to provide educational technology and gaming to the youth of the community. The five-year project is also supported with S2,5oo each from the library and The Meadows Valley Benefit Golf Tournament. In photo, library director Audrey Crogh, left, receives a check from Belinda Provancher of Midas Gold. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/groups_page.php 3/19/2015 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold launches naming contest for McCall's Fairway Park Midas Gold Corp. has launched a contest to come up with a new name for what is now known as Fairway Park in McCall. Midas Gold earned naming rights of the park, located on Davis Avenue, after donating $50,000 to the city last year to make improvements to the baseball and softball fields. When the season starts in a few weeks, players will enjoy resurfaced fields, new restrooms, a concession stand and a drainage system to keep the fields from getting swampy. "Baseball and softball games are a summer staple in McCall," said Anne Labelle, vice president of Midas Gold. 'This park belongs to the community and we think it is only fitting that the community picks the new name for the ball fields." Entries for the name can be submitted by going to MidasGoldidaho.com/name-the-park, by sending an entry to namethepark@MidasGoldinc.com, by calling (208) 901-3121 or by sending a message to the company through its Facebook page. The deadline is May 11. Midas Gold and the city will narrow submissions to the top three names, after which the community will vote on the finalists to determine the winner starting May 15 on Midas Gold's Facebook page. The winner will be revealed during the park's dedication ceremony on June 20. "This has been a very fun project to be a part of, but we can't wait until the real fun starts when the kids get to play on the new and improved fields this season," Labelle said. Midas Gold is currently exploring the Stibnite -Yellow Pine Mining District in Valley County for gold, antimony, silver and tungsten and plans to clean up the environmental problems left by previous miners. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/archive_2015/04_30_ 15_webedition/Copy%20of%... 015 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Finalists announced In Midas Gold park naming contest Midas Gold has announced the three finalists for its "name the park" contest for the current Fairway Park in McCall. The park's potential names Include Midas Golden Glove Park, submitted by Gene Drabinksi; Prospector Park, submitted by Nelson Witte; and Stibnite Park, submitted by Sylvia Ryan. The community can vote for their favorite name on the Midas Gold's Facebook page, by sending their vote to namethepark@midasgoldinc.com or by calling (208) 901-3121. Voting will remain open through May 28. The winner will be announced at the ball field's dedication ceremony on June 20. Midas Gold gave $50,000 to the city last year to help pay for renovations of the fields and the addition of a permanent restroom and concessions stand. The city offered naming rights in return for the donation. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/outdoors_page.php 5/21 /2015 Star -News News Announcements Page Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold wins environmental excellence award from IACI Midas Gold Corp. has been presented with the 2015 Environmental Excellence Award from the Idaho Association of Commerce 8 Industry. The award is given in recognition of innovative environmental leadership and accomplishment, which have achieved outstanding resuits in environmental protection and enhancement. Midas Gold was recognized for investing time, resources and expertise into restoring areas of pre- existing environmental disturbance, improving local water quality, and enhancing fish habitat in the Stibnite -Yellow Pine area of Valley County. Meanwhile, the company Is moving forward with mineral exploration using methods that protect the environment. Our focus on the restoration of the Stibnite Gold Project site is part of a long term commitment to environmental improvement and sustainable development, and we look forward to building on these efforts in the future," said Stephen Quin, president and CEO of Midas Gold Corp. Over the past several years, more than 30,000 trees have been planted by Midas Gold to reduce sediment runoff and improve water quality. Also, eight acres of historically disturbed lands have been restored, and more than 30 tons of scrap metal left by prior operators have been recycled or removed. Midas Gold has also established a solar power system at Stibnite which has reduced diesel fuel consumption for its camp and on -site activities, and all of its drill sites have been reclaimed. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/announcements_page.php 6/25/2015 Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1 liet.far The Star -Nears ,rGuy Erse. MIDAS GOLD DONATES BLOWER - Representatives of Midas Gold Corp. last week donated a loader -mounted snow blower to the McCall Public Works Department for use by the ©ty's sheets crews. From left is McCall Street Superintendent Chris Malvich, Midas Gold Community Coordinator Belinda Provaucher, McCall Public Works Director Peter Borner, Midas Field Operations Manager Richard Moses, and McCall Sheets Supervisor Kraig Newcomb. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/groups_page.php 10/1 /2015 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Study finds high levels of pollution at Stibnite mining site Midas Gold says clean-up will be part of its planned mining BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News Levels of arsenic, mercury and antimony exceed health standards in the waters around the Stibnite Gold Project planned by Midas Gold Corp., according to a new federal study. The study by the U.S. Geological Survey was cited by conservationists who say open -pit mining planned by Midas Gold along the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River could make matters worse. However, Midas Gold officials said they plan to clean up the pollution, which was left by previous mining companies. The study, which was paid by Midas Gold and the Idaho Department of Lands, sampled water in five locations in the East Fork as well as Meadow Creek and Sugar Creek in the Stibnite area east of Yellow Pine in Valley County. Only one site sampled, in Meadow Creek, did not exceed health standards for arsenic, the study said. There were high antimony levels at three locations. The elevated metal levels "highlight the risk of mining there because it shows how easy it is to contaminate the waters and how hard it is to clean up," said John Robison, public lands director for the Idaho Conservation League. Midas Gold plans to dig 400 feet below the riverbed of the East Fork to search for gold, which has the potential "to make things far worse," Robison said. There are high levels of metals in the water because of more than a century of mining, said Stephen Quin, CEO of Midas Gold, which has its headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. Blowout Creek A hydroelectric dam near the site failed in the 1960s, earning the stream below it the nickname of Blowout Creek, he said. At the Cinnabar Mine on Sugar Creek, mercury discovered in the 1920s was used extensively to extract gold from ore and is still present, Quin said. The Bradley Mining Co., produced antimony and tungsten as strategic minerals for World War II and the Korean War, leaving behind pollution, he said. "There was very little in the way of standards in 1950s and 1960s," Quin said. "In the 1970s and 1980s, the government did some modest amounts, really just to stabilize the runoff and disturbance." Materials such as arsenic also can be found at higher levels in mineral -rich areas, even without mining, he said. He also noted Yellow Pine does not draw its drinking water from the East Fork. The company plan a fish passage so salmon can return to spawn above the water -filled "Glory Hole" mining pit, he said. Old tailings at Meadow Creek would be reprocessed for gold and then placed in a lined pit, and large waste rock would be used to stabilize Blowout Creek to haft Its erosion, Quin said. "That happens way up front," he said. Midas is still working on its mining operations plan, and no date has been set to present those plans to the Forest Service, Quin said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 12/31 /2015 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Payette waiting for Midas Gold Payette forest will need yeas to process proposal at Stibnite after plan is presented BY DAN GALLAGHER for The star -News Midas Gold Corp, still does not know when it will submit a plan of operations to the Payette National Forest, the company's CEO said last week. "We haven't made the decision, but it would be in the not too distant future," Stephen Quin said of the plan. "Our environmental baseline study is already largely complete." Once an operating plan is filed, then an extensive review is started by state and federal agencies that could take up to four years to complete. "Everybody knows because of mining that there's been negative impacts, but can we quantify it?" Quin said. "You can't come up with a plan to remediate this unless you know what the problem is." sbou, yea cold ?Midas Gold Corp. CEO Stephen Quin, center, points out a Mature of an interpretive display to visitors to the Stibnite Gold Pmjeet last summer. The company has spent $110 million so far in Valley County to try and determine how much gold is under the ground at the Stibnite mining district near Yellow Pine in Valley County. In 2014, Quin had said mining at Stibnite would be profitable as long as gold prices stay above $1,200 an ounce. The gold price on Tuesday was $1,088. Midas figures it would cost $800 to extract an ounce of gold from Its main Yellow Pine deposit, while mining at the company's West End and Hangar Flats deposits would cost $1,100 per ounce. "The key point is we're not building the mine today," Quin said. "All we're moving to is the permitting stage and one of the permitting obligations is ensuring 'reasonable foreseeable outcomes.' " Latest estimates say 6.6 million ounces of gold are likely under the ground at Stibnite, of which 4.6 million ounces could be extracted profitably. The Stibnite site is quiet this winter with only security employees on duty at the company's residential camp. Midas currently employs 32 people in Donnelly and Boise with six in Canada, he said. Midas Gold expects about 700 jobs would be created during construction of the mining operation, with 500 direct jobs created during mining plus 500 indirect jobs such as truck drivers and teachers needed for extra students. As part of the permitting process, govemment regulators will set the amount of the bond Midas must provide for cleanup in case the company unexpectedly shuts down. The company has committed to provide permanent storage of tailings and waste rock, establish the former salmon spawning stream through the historic "Glory Hole" pit and clean up metal pollution from prior mining. "What you want to do is rather than promising when we get there is starting doing things now," Quin said ttm.',:wiavi,,:i tvelizrassriiirsaronva5dikz�rsp s`n_sres_75a` r73r-P ) 1',21vl� Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Payette approves more drilling for Midas Gold, but company may pass BY DAN GALLAGHER for The Star -News The Payette National Forest has cleared the way for Midas Gold Corp, to conduct more exploratory drilling at Stibnite, but the company may not need any more test holes on the federal land. The Idaho Conservation League and the Nez Perm Tribe had filed objections to the Forest Service decision to conduct further drilling at the site to develop a mining operations plan. Krassel District Ranger Anthony Botello last Thursday approved the exploration at the Stibnite Gold Project after the groups withdrew their objections. The approval would allow about 128 drill pads in 24 drilling areas, but Midas has not decided whether to follow through after extensive drilling on nearby private property. "With respect to drilling, our priority targets primarily lie on private land and so are not affected by this permit, once it is finalized," Midas CEO Stephen Quin said. "However, were we to drill on Stibnite, we might conduct some preliminary drill testing at some of the prospects now permitted during the three-year term of the permit," Quin said. Botello's decision said exploration will not be allowed in the Sugar and South Sugar drill areas because it would be within 100 feet of Sugar Creek, which is critical habitat for endangered fish. Included with the drilling would be approval to use 3.8 miles of existing temporary road, building three - eighths of a mile of new, temporary road, and expanding an existing borrow pit to about an acre, the decision said. Quin said the objections centered around the potential for sediment going into Johnson Creek and the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River from mining traffic. Midas had crushed gravel near Yellow Pine for roadwork and has a local quarry, so it committed to use that material to help prevent sediment spills which satisfied the objections, he said. ICL Public Lands Director John Robison praised the decision not to allow drilling near Sugar Creek in a Viewpoint that appears on Page 8 of this issue of The Star -News. "However, having seen the impact of previous mining projects ... we don't think that the current open pit mine plan is compatible with protecting the clean water, fish, wildlife and recreation in the South Fork Salmon River headwaters," Robison said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 1 /21 /20 l 6 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold to get $41.5 million in new money to continue Stibnite project New York investment firm to provide boost to Canadian company BY TOM GROTE for The Star -News Midas Gold Inc. will receive a cash infusion of $41.5 million to continue its quest to pull millions of ounces of gold from the ground at Stibnite in Valley County. Midas Gold announced a deal with Paulson 8, Co. Inc., a New York City investment management firm, on behalf of the several investment funds and accounts managed by Paulson. Paulson R Co. would end up owning between 37 percent and 49 percent of Midas Gold once the deal is completed, a Midas news release said. The money will be used by the Vancouver, B.C., company to continue work the Stibnite Gold Project near Yellow Pine. The company has completed exploration of the area and Is now drafting applications for permits from various agencies to begin mining. The new money, along with cost cutting the company has done over the past three years, should provide enough funds to complete the permit process, the news release said. Since it first started work in 2009, Midas Gold has invested $137 million into the Stibnite Gold Project, $100 million of which has been spent in Idaho, according to figures from the company. The company has 22 employees in Idaho, six of which work at the company's office north of Donnelly. Peak employment for the company was in 2012 when 130 people, including contractors, worked during the height of the exploration phase that consisted of core drilling. The company has predicted that obtaining environmental approvals could take up to five years. If permits are received, then construction on the mine would take three years. During the construction period, the company expects to hire 400 employees directly and contract with other companies for 300 more jobs. 12 Year Operation If gold mining begins in eamest, extraction is expected to last 12 years. There would be 500 people working directly for Midas Gold and 500 people working for other companies, according to Midas Gold estimates. The employees would work in shifts, with 250 on site at any one time. Cascade would be the hub of operations, with about 50 people working in human resources, accounting, assaying and warehousing. Total payroll would be an estimated $48 million per year during construction and $56 million per year during mining and processing. The company expects to recover more than 4 million ounces of gold, or 125 tons, from the Stibnite deposits The value of the gold is projected to bring in 94 percent of the revenue from Stibnite. The company also expects to recover 100 million pounds of antimony, which is used to make flame - proofing materials, paints, ceramic enamels, glass and pottery. However, the value of antimony is only expected to produce 5 percent of total revenues. A total of 2 million pounds of silver is also expected to be found with the gold and antimony, but is expected to make up less than 1 percent of the total value of all metals, according to company estimates http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 3/10/2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold files operating plan with Payette National Forest Process begins to secure myriad of state, federal permits BY TOM GROTE for The Star -News Midas Gold as filed its plan with the Payette National Forest to extract gold from the Stibnite area of Valley County. The three-inch thick plan details how Midas Gold plans to remove gold and antimony from the ground at the historic site near Yellow Pine. The plan also outlines how Midas Gold plans to restore the damage it does while mining as well as the previous damage done by nearly 100 years of mining in the area east of McCall. The submission begins what likely will be years of study and public involvement by the Payette under the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation's master environmental protection law. Midas Gold hope that the Payette will approve its plans to remove what the company thinks is four to five million ounces of gold and 100 million to 200 million pounds of anitmony, a fire -retardant material, at the site over 12 years. aeaocoonr rna., con Photo shows the Yellow Pine Pit, a leftover from previous mining in the Stibnite area near Yellow Pine. The company predicts that up to 1,000 employees will work to build the mine over three years, after which an average of 600 people would work to remove the precious metals. The company is selling hard its plans to completely restore past mining scars at the site. That effort is reflected in the name of the application, a Plan of Restoration and Operation. Normally, mining plans submitted to federal agencies are called Plan Of Operations. 'The redevelopment of the Stibnite Gold Project site will see the restoration of salmon migration into the headwaters of a branch of the Salmon River for the first time since the 1930s," said Laurel Sayer, president & CEO of Midas Gold Idaho, Inc., the subsidiary of Midas Gold Corp., of Vancouver, B.C., that will manage the project. Dozens of Permits Before restoration or mining can happen, the company must obtain dozens of permits from the Payette as well as other federal agencies and state and local governments, said Anthony Botello, ranger of the Payette's Krassel District, on which the project is located. Among the permits needed will be for dredging and filling, to ensure the quality of the air and water in the area is protected and to alter the steams in the area. Several agencies and groups will be invited to weigh in on the proposal in addition to the public. Those groups include the Idaho State Historic Preservation office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Native American tribes. The goal of the agencies is to ensure restoration work Is done as the mine is operating and not wait until Midas Gold has completed removing minerals, Botello said. State and federal agencies will work to ensure there is enough money set aside by Midas Gold to complete the restoration and monitor water quality if the mine were to suddenly shut down, he said. The Payette will hire a consulting firm to do most of the environmental analysis, and Midas Gold has agreed to pay for that part of the project, Botello said. Plan Review The Midas Gold plan is not yet available to the public while the Payette reviews it to be sure it is complete. That process will likely last through November, Botello said. Midas Gold has asked that a procedure known as the Joint Review Process be used to avoid unnecessary delays in the permitting process. The process was developed by the state 20 years ago to help mining applications negotiate the various state and federal agencies, according to a summary provided by the Payette. In February, the parent company, Midas Gold Corp., announced it would receive a cash infusion of $41.5 million to keep the project on track. The deal with Paulson & Co. Inc., a New York City investment management firth, saw Midas Gold Corp. selling 36 percent of the company's stock to Paulson & Co. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 10/20/2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold names point person to guide permitting process Payette forest also to hire project coordinator BY TOM GROTE for The Star -News A political veteran has been hired by Midas Gold to shepherd the company's plan to mine gold in the Stibnite area near Yellow Pine. Laurel Sayer Laurel Sayer has been named as president and chief executive officer of Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. Midas Gold Idaho is a subsidiary of Midas Gold Corp., of Vancouver, B.C., and the operating company for the company's Stibnite Gold Project. Sayer, who previous was a board member of Midas Gold Corp., spent more than two decades working on policy matters with Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, with an emphasis on natural resources. She has served as executive director of the Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts since 2013 and will step down from the position to assume her new role. "We are excited that Laurel will take a hands-on approach to help guide us in shaping the future of the Stibnite Gold Project, particularly given her commitment to conservation and protection of the environment," said Stephen Quin, President & CEO of Midas Gold Corp. Plans filed by Midas Gold with the Payette National Forest are unique in that the focus is on cleaning up environmental damage left by previous mining and restoring salmon run, Sayer said. "Cleaning up the site's existing legacy impacts and restoring salmon migration are just the first steps of the multi -year plan to restore the Stibnite Gold Project site to a sett -sustaining ecosystem," she said. Meanwhile, the Payette National Forest will hire its own project manager to oversee the complex task of reviewing mining plans by Midas Gold and issuing permits. A search has already begun within the Forest Service for someone who has extensive knowledge of mining and the federal permitting process, said Anthony Botello, ranger of the Payette's Krassel District, on which the Midas Gold project is located. The manager will be the team leader for the Payette in working with Sayer and other Midas Gold employees and consultants in the permitting process, which could take years, Botello said. Midas Gold will be asked to help pay for the salary of the Payette manager, but negotiations are not concluded on that point, he said. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 10/20/2016 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Midas Gold has Invested $137 million looking for gold at Stibnite BY TOM GROTE for The Star -News Since it first started work in 2009, Midas Gold has invested $137 million into the Stibnite Gold Project, $100 million of which has been spent in Idaho, according to figures from the company. The Vancouver, B.C., company has 29 employees in Idaho, of which 23 are permanent full-time. Six employees work at the company's office north of Donnelly. Peak employment for the company was in 2012 when 130 people, including contractors, worked during the height of the exploration phase that consisted of core drilling. The company has predicted that obtaining environmental approvals could take up to five years. If permits are received, then construction of the mine would take up to three years. During construction, the company expects to hire about 1,000 people, either directly on contract with other companies. If gold mining begins in earnest, the extraction phase is expected to last 12 years. There would be an average of 600 people working on the site, according to Midas Gold estimates. Total payroll would be an estimated $48 million per year during construction and $56 million per year during mining and processing. The company expects to recover between four and five million ounces of gold from the Stibnite deposits. The value of the gold is projected to bring in 94 percent of the revenue from Stibnite, with the balance made up primarily of antimony, which is a flame retardant, and some silver. http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/lead_page.php 10/20/2016