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(Page 2) <br />MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-1977-215 <br />INSPECTION DATE 11/14/08 <br />OBSERVATIONS <br />INSPECTOR'S INITIALS RCO <br />This was a partial inspection performed by the Division as part of its monitoring of Hard Rock/Metals 112 permits, and to <br />inspect the 9700 Portal area which will be re-disturbed under technical revision TR-14. The operator was contacted about the <br />scheduled inspection. This inspector met the operator's representative named on page one before the inspection at the <br />operator's office, and the operator was also present during the inspection. Others present during the pre-inspection meeting <br />and the inspection were Tom Malecek (USFS) and Diann Gese (BLM). Federal agency interest in this revision involves <br />whether the 9700 portal is on patented or unpatented land. The site was determined to be located on the operator's patented <br />claim: Grover Cleveland #11586. Besides discussing the revision, the operator showed this inspector the steel culvert and <br />locking door that was fabricated for this revision. <br />This was a partial inspection, since not all areas of the permit were inspected. The only portions of the permitted area that <br />were inspected were: Area A (the 9360 Level portal, pad and waste dump, and 9700 Level portal, pad and waste dump), and <br />Area E (a solitary shaft area). The underground openings were all closed and surface reclamation was carried out by the <br />former operator during final reclamation. The bond was reduced to reflect the little outstanding reclamation still needed. The <br />current operator had stated that mining may recommence in the future, and this office informed the operator that this may <br />require revision (s) to the permit. TR-14 was submitted for this reason. Further revision(s) to the mining and reclamation plans <br />will be necessary as additional plans are made for future operations, which will include revisions to the bond amount. <br />The 9700 Level portal was backfilled with talus rock several years ago, but the operator has applied for approval of a revision to <br />re-open the portal in order to install a steel culvert with a safety door, so that the underground workings may be accessed. The <br />9700 Level is dry, and the 3-ft diameter (x 40-ft length) culvert will not allow equipment or materials to pass. After assessment <br />work and/or mining is finished, the culvert/door will be removed and the portal opening will be closed. The revision was <br />approved and the bond amount was recalculated. (The operator hand-delivered the additional bond to this inspector after the <br />inspection.) <br />The 9360 Level pad was briefly inspected, to confirm a reported patch of Canada thistle, a state-listed noxious weed. The <br />patch in question was located in and adjacent to the rock berm that is along the crest of the pad. The thistle plants appear as a <br />sparce patch (that is probably about two years old, but appears to be slowly spreading on soil and among the rocks in the berm. <br />The permit was in the process of being transferred in 2007 and 2008, and while there is a noxious weed control plan approved <br />in the permit, there may have been a lapse in monitoring and treatment. <br />The shaft in Area E was closed several years ago, and the surface reclamation appears to be in very good condition. There is <br />no settling or erosion, the grading is blended with the adjacent topography, and the revegetation appears well-established. <br />Another underground mine feature was recently noticed on the original permit maps in the northernmost point of Area A: the <br />9940 Level portal. It is located a short distance above the 9700 portal up Windy Gulch, accessed by a short spur road. This <br />portal has never been inspected by the Division nor been reported on by the (former) operator. The current operator stated that <br />this level does not connect to the rest of the workings, and the portal was,permanently closed by IMP several years ago. <br />No further items were observed during the inspection. Responses to this report should be directed to this inspector at the <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, 691 County Road 233, Suite A-2, Durango, Colorado 81301. (Please note: As of <br />7/1/08 the Durango Field Office moved to the new address,- shown above. Please revise your records as necessary.) <br />I & E Contact Address cc: Steve Shuey, DBMS <br />? CE <br />NAME Brian Egolf ? BL <br />OPERATOR Emerald Mining and Leasing, LLC ? FS <br />STREET PO Box 628 ? HW <br />CITY/STATE/ZIP Creede. CO 81130 ? HMWMD (CH) <br />? SE <br />? WQCD (CH) <br />? OTHER <br />Cc: Diann Gese, BLM, 13308 W Hwy 160, Del Norte, CO 81132 <br />Charlie Muerhoff, Rio Grande Silver, Inc., PO Box 610, Creede, CO 81130