Permitting of this program will include drilling at up to 140 drill sites to further develop the Kilgore Deposit and test new exploration targets. The Plan, which will cover drilling for 2018 and beyond, is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Forest Service (or “USFS”). An Environmental Assessment (or “EA”) will be completed as part of the agency review process. Otis personnel and consultants will be supporting the USFS in their review process.
At the Kilgore Deposit, gold mineralization is open for extension to the northwest, southeast and at depth. Additionally, numerous high value exploration targets exist, including Gold Ridge, Prospect Ridge, Dog Bone Ridge and the Aspen Gossan, which are of significant interest to Otis and not authorized under the current approved Plan of Operations. These exploration targets have been identified by an ongoing exploration program including ground-based magnetic geophysical surveys over the land package and a detailed program of soil and stream sediment surveys. This current work is complemented by an extensive range of historical exploration work that includes an airborne magnetic survey conducted in the 1990s, a 2010 CSAMT survey, extensive soil surveys and prior regional exploration drilling conducted by Otis and other operators.
The new permit will allow a significant amount of flexibility to aggressively test these new exploration targets and to expand the gold resources at Kilgore. A specific exploration program for 2018 will be finalized after an assessment of the results from the 2017 Kilgore drill program and a compilation and review of all exploration data from this and prior year’s field programs.
Craig Lindsay, Otis President & CEO, stated: “Otis is at a critical juncture in the development of the Kilgore Project. While significant growth potential exists at the current deposit, which will remain a critical focus of future drilling, exploration outside of the existing deposit area has the potential to quickly take Kilgore to the next stage. We are excited about working with the U.S. Forest Service and the local community on this newest round of permitting at Kilgore.”
