Drilling Program Commences on the Catface Copper Project, British Columbia
July 16, 2008 - Vancouver, British Columbia -- Selkirk Metals Corp. ("Selkirk" or the "Company")
provides an update of activities for the Catface Copper Project,
British Columbia. The diamond drill has now been mobilized to the
Property and drill operations are underway. In addition, the first
phase of water sampling under the direction of Knight Piesold
Consulting has also been completed before any field operations were
underway. The drilling program will consist of a minimum of 3,000
meters as well as metallurgical testing and ongoing recommended
baseline environmental studies.
Following the finalization of the Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU")
between the Company and the Ahousaht First Nation ("Ahousaht"), Selkirk
through its 97.4% owned subsidiary, Catface Copper Mines Limited
("Catface"), has continued to work closely with the leadership of
Ahousaht to provide the level of communications and cooperation
contemplated in the MOU and necessary to allow for successful ongoing
operations. Catface is the current owner of related mineral claims and
mining lease that have been in good standing with no interruption since
1960.
The MOU is specifically designed to allow for ongoing exploration of
the Catface Copper Property, and represents a cooperative agreement
between the Ahousaht and the Company. The MOU reflects the support of
the leadership and members of the Ahousaht and the management of
Selkirk. The first phase of operations will consist of a surface
diamond drilling program using helicopter support, which will result in
little or no surface disturbance. This drilling will add to the
information on the deposit and will provide fresh samples of the
Porphyry Copper mineralization that can be used for metallurgical and
environmental testing. In addition to the drilling, sampling of surface
waters, outcrop, historic drill core and waste rock, will be completed
as part of the ongoing studies to determine the potential impacts of
development. Based on nearly 40 years of records since the Catface
Copper deposit was discovered in 1959, there is little evidence of
serious drainage contamination in large part due to the low sulphide
content of the deposit and the surrounding host rocks.
As with any mineral development project, the collection and compilation
of information necessary to evaluate the potential for mine development
is the first phase of a process of engineering, design, consultation
and communication with interested and affected parties. While there
have been some preliminary engineering studies completed in the past,
they will serve as guidelines to the work that must be carried out in
the future in support of any proposed mine development. Formal studies
cannot be started until the completion of the data collection phase of
the program, with the current drilling program being only one part.
Selkirk will continue to work closely with the relevant regulatory
agencies, the Ahousaht and the local communities to provide the related
information as it becomes available.
The Catface Copper Property is owned 100% by Catface Copper Mines
Limited which is owned 97.4% by Doublestar Resources Ltd., a wholly
owned subsidiary of Selkirk. The Property is located on Catface
Mountain, on the West Coast of central Vancouver Island, BC.
Exploration work is conducted under the supervision of the Company's
Qualified Person and Vice President of Exploration, Jim Miller-Tait,
P.Geo.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors:
(signed) "Gordon Keevil"
Gordon Keevil, President
For further information on Selkirk Metals Corp. please visit our website at www.selkirkmetals.com.
