Fronteer Development still on track with exploration

Many junior mining and exploration companies are conserving cash and scaling back exploration this year because of weak capital markets, but Fronteer Development Group still has aggressive exploration plans for its three key Nevada gold projects.

Fronteer, an exploration and development company based in Vancouver, has offices in Reno and Elko.

More than $22.5 million in exploration is planned for the company's Long Canyon, Sandman and

Northumberland projects in northeast and central Nevada. At Long Canyon in the Pequop Range in Elko

County, Fronteer has an exploration budget of $14.1 million with minority partner AuEx Ventures Inc.

At Fronteer's Sandman project near Winnemucca, a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corp. is funding a $5

million work program as part of an option and joint-venture agreement. Approximately 30 drill holes have

been completed to date at the Sandman project.

The Sandman property is within trucking distance to Newmont's Twin Creeks mine, potentially eliminating the need for a stand-alone milling facility and other significant capital expenditures if the project proceeds to production.

And at its Northumberland project just south of Austin, Fronteer plans to spend $3.4 million on development work to advance the project.

The Northumberland Mine, last owned by Western States Minerals Corp., produced more than 230,000 ounces of gold and 485,000 ounces of silver from 1981 through 1991 until gold production ceased in 1991 due to lower per-ounce prices. The site also was in production under the Northumberland Mining Company from 1939 to 1942.

Fronteer has added staff to its U.S. team and also expanded its office space in Elko. Fronteer also recently appointed Troy Fierro to the newly created position of chief operating officer.

Fierro was previously vice president of mining operations for Coeur D'Alene Mines,where he oversaw the Rochester Mine near Lovelock.