SECURITY – The Minto Mine has been instructed to double its reclamation security deposit to C$8.33 million, according to testimony heard by the Yukon Territory Water Board March 1. The Whitehorse Daily Star reported that the matter was raised by environmental consultant Bill Slater, who has been retained as an expert witness to testify on behalf of the Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation during the hearing into a water license application for the proposed Carmacks copper mine. Bob Holmes, the Yukon government’s director of mineral resources, explained that Capstone Mining was asked in a Feb. 15 letter from Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Patrick Rouble to provide the increase in security in the next 60 days. There is currently C$3.8 million being held by the government through a letter of credit issued by Capstone, Holmes explained. Under the government’s new reclamation guidelines, the amount of security must keep pace with the estimated cost of closing down the mine at any given time and completing the reclamation work. Holmes said under the Minto Mine’s operating license, the company must provide an updated assessment of the mine site every two years. It submitted a report last October, and, after a review of the material and discussions between government and company representatives, it was decided security in the amount of C$8.33 million is appropriate at this time, Holmes explained. The new reclamation policy was developed to coincide with the Yukon government taking the responsibility for regulating mining in the territory on April 1, 2003. On that date federal authority for managing lands and resources in the Yukon was transferred to the territory. The new reclamation policy is meant to avoid leaving taxpayers in the lurch for mining developments that go bust without enough money to clean up, such as the cases with the Faro and Mount Nansen mines. The mines were permitted under Ottawa’s watch, so now it’s the federal taxpayer who must pay for the cleanup – C$500 million or more in the case of Faro alone.

ENVIRONMENT – BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc. March 3 said it completed construction of the Minto Water Treatment Plant at the Minto Mine in Yukon Territory. BioteQ said it provided plant design, procurement, and construction within a very short timeline of 5 months, and delivered the plant ahead of schedule and within budget. BioteQ will begin commissioning the plant during the second quarter, and will provide fee-based operating services for the next three operating seasons, starting this spring. The capital cost of the plant has been paid by the mine site owner, Minto Explorations Ltd. The Minto Water Treatment Plant will treat water containing dissolved metals and suspended solids, using a combination of conventional water treatment technologies and BioteQ’s proprietary processes to produce treated water that will comply with the applicable water quality requirements for discharge to the environment. The plant has been designed to treat 4 million liters of water per day, to allow for peak water flow from the site. During the 2009 operating season, BioteQ used a temporary system to treat 700 million liters of water at the site. BioteQ will provide a process guarantee that the plant will operate in accordance with the plant's design criteria.

GOLD – Northern Tiger Resources Inc. March 2 said that 2009 field work was successful in further refining and expanding priority gold targets at Sonora Gulch. Work to date has identified a near-continuous geochemical gold-in-soil anomaly (greater than 20 parts per billion) that extends for 6 kilometers, or nearly four miles, with an average width of about 1.5 kilometers, or 1 mile. “Both the size and the intensity of the overall gold trend at Sonora Gulch compare very favorably with other anomalies currently being explored in the very active Dawson Range-White Gold district,” said Northern Tiger President Greg Hayes. “Exploration at Sonora Gulch continues to demonstrate the property’s gold potential, and a number of very compelling targets remain to be drill-tested.” The broad gold trend, defined by 1,971 soil samples (22 percent collected in 2009), now covers about 9 square kilometers, or 3.5 square miles. Gold-in-soil values range from trace to 2,340 ppb, with an average grade of 56 ppb. Within this broader trend, a number of clusters with significantly elevated gold values have been identified as high priority targets for additional exploration, including the Gold Vein, Sonata, and Concerto Creek anomalies. A recently discovered copper-molybdenum porphyry target is also contained within this broad trend.

FINANCE – Selwyn Resources Ltd. March 2 said it has made substantial progress towards completion of an agreement whereby Chinese investor Yunnan Chihong Zinc & Germanium Co. Ltd. will acquire a 50 percent interest in a joint venture for the Selwyn Project (. The parties have undertaken substantive negotiations towards finalization of joint venture operating and shareholders’ agreements by May. To provide more time to complete the agreements, in both English and Chinese, the parties have extended the exclusivity period within which to complete these agreements, until April 1. Highlights of the transaction include Selwyn’s mineral and other assets associated with the Selwyn Project will be made subject to a new Canadian Joint Venture between Selwyn and Chihong, and a new company will be established, owned 50 percent each by Selwyn and Chihong, to act as operator to carryout the programs of the joint venture. The board of the operating company will have equal representation from each of Selwyn and Chihong. Chihong will deposit C$100 million in cash to a bank account set up by the operating company, from which funds will be used to finance programs of the joint venture. Chihong will earn a 50 percent interest in the JV by expending the funds on pre-development programs associated with completion of a bankable feasibility study and permitting. The parties’ negotiations are ongoing and on target for closing of the transaction in May. Chihong has informed Selwyn that it has received some of its government approvals required for closing, but that other approvals are still required to be obtained prior to the proposed closing, and closing is contingent upon obtaining those approvals.

GOLD/SILVER – Guinness Exploration Inc. March 3 said it has completed the first of two US$471,934 (Cdn$500,000) payments required to acquire its initial 65 percent interest in the Mount Nansen and Tawa gold and silver exploration properties located in the Tintina Gold Belt in Yukon Territory. “The first payment under the Nantawa Agreement was scheduled for May 30, 2010 and we’re pleased to have completed this over two months prior to the deadline,” said President and CEO Alastair Brown. “We’ve now fulfilled half of the scheduled payments for our initial 65 percent interest in the Nantawa Properties, and this follows our successful unit offering last month, which raised US$1.5 million. We’re now refining the specifics of our planned summer drilling program and expect to report further details in the near future,” Brown said.

CORRECTION – Daulton Capital Corp. March 1 issued a correction to its Feb. 25, 2010 report of the acquisition of a second strategic property, the Hunker Project, located in the heart of the famous Klondike Placer Gold District. Daulton said the Hunker Project consists of 121 Yukon Quartz Mining Claims located in the Dawson Mining District of Yukon Territory, rather than the 60 claims described in its earlier announcement. As a result, the claim block is further corrected and now stands at 6,000 acres, or 24 square kilometers, and straddles Hunker Creek, one of the Klondike’s famous gold producing placer creeks, the junior said.