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<br />6.4.4 Exhibit D <br />Mining Plan <br />The Willow Creek Mine is an open-pit placer operation on the hillside of Mt. <br />Elbert abutting the San Juan National Forest in Lake County, Colorado. The current <br />110 Permit area is completely developed including processing area, material <br />extraction area and stockpiles. The target deposit is composed of sand, gravel and <br />rock. The primary commodity is gold. <br />The permit area will be developed in approximate 15 acre phases with a <br />stationary processing plant including three process/recycling water ponds. One 15 <br />acre phase will be excavated to an approximate depth of 20 feet, depending on gold <br />production yields. The life of one 15-acre phase is approximately seven (7) years. <br />The configuration of subsequent phases will depend on product yield and nature of <br />the deposit. <br />Reclamation will occur concurrently to mining. Slopes will be maintained at <br />3:1 or less during excavation. As material is processed, fines and reject material will <br />be replaced on excavated areas of the mine in preparation of revegetation. Topsoil <br />will be stockpiled for final reclamation activity. Overburden and processed material <br />may be stockpiled until a mine area is ready for contouring. <br />When a phase is mined out, Mt. Elbert Mining Company will post bond for an <br />adjoining 15 acres. The first phase will be reclaimed using material from the first <br />phase and any necessary additional material from the second phase. The remaining <br />topsoil and overburden will be stockpiled for reclamation of the second phase and so <br />on through the permit area progressing clockwise beginning in the southwest corner <br />of the privately held permit area. <br />Earthmoving occurs utilizing a bulldozer and loader. When necessary, ripper <br />teeth on the bulldozer are used to loosen gravel and break rock. The loader hauls <br />the loosen material to the vibrating hopper which feeds an eight inch grizzly. All <br />eight inch minus material is fed through an apron feeder, onto a 36 inch conveyor <br />belt that carries the material to a 5x40 foot trammel with 7/8 inch screens. Material <br />larger than 7/8 inch is conveyed by stacker to a stockpile to be used for backfilling <br />the open pit. Material smaller than 7/8 inch is conveyed into a hopper which feeds <br />two side-by-side 4x30 inch sluices followed by two 42 inch square duplex jigs and <br />another set of 4x30 inch sluices. The final concentrate is stored in 55 gallon drums in <br />the process building awaiting final gravity filtration. Sluice tailings are placed in a <br />three step series of settling ponds that allows for recirculating process water. <br />Due to weather in the high mountains of Colorado, the mine operation is <br />limited to between approximately June 1 and December 15 of each year. Annual <br />production is less than or equal to 70,000 tons. Approximately 3-5 employees work <br />the site. <br />The mining operation does not require chemical additives or blasting. This is <br />a dry mine operation. All process water is contained in a closed recycling system. <br />Page 5 of 23