Plan of Operations Geophysical Investigation Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. Stibnite Gold Project Stibnite, ID Revised June 2017 Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. | Plan of Operations for Geophysical Investigation TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents 1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................1 1.1 General Information .............................................................................................1 1.2 Project Owner/Operator .......................................................................................1 1.3 Land Status ..........................................................................................................2 1.4 Document Control ................................................................................................2 2 Project Location ..............................................................................................................3 3 Access and Road Segment Descriptions ...................................................................... 7 4 Geotechnical Drilling Sites ........................................................................................... 13 4.1 Proposed Upper East Fork South Fork Salmon River Drilling (Attachment A, Figure 3) ............................................................................................................ 13 4.2 Proposed Meadow Creek Drilling (Attachment A, Figure 6) ............................... 13 4.3 Proposed Middle East Fork South Fork Salmon River and Garnet Creek Drilling (Attachment A, Figure 7 and 8) .......................................................................... 13 4.4 Proposed Lower East Fork South Fork Salmon River and Fiddle Creek Drilling (Attachment A, Figure 9) .................................................................................... 14 4.5 Proposed West End Creek and Midnight Creek Drilling (Attachment A, Figure 10)14 4.6 Proposed Upper Meadow Creek Drilling (Attachment A, Figures 4 and 5) ......... 15 5 Drilling in Riparian Conservation Areas ...................................................................... 17 6 Water Use and Points of Diversion .............................................................................. 19 7 Equipment Staging and Operations ............................................................................ 21 7.1 Core Drilling ....................................................................................................... 21 7.2 Sonic/auger SPT Drilling .................................................................................... 22 7.3 Fuel Haul and Storage ....................................................................................... 23 7.4 Vehicle Trips ...................................................................................................... 24 8 Groundwater Monitoring .............................................................................................. 25 9 Best Management Practices/Standard Operating Procedures .................................. 27 10 Reclamation Plan .......................................................................................................... 49 10.1 Drill Pad Reclamation ........................................................................................ 49 10.2 Temporary Road Reclamation ........................................................................... 49 10.3 General Reclamation Practices and On-going Activities..................................... 49 11 Reclamation Performance Bond .................................................................................. 51 12 References ....................................................................................................................53 13 Operating Plan Acceptance ......................................................................................... 57 hdrinc.com River Quarry at Parkcenter, 412 E. Parkcenter Blvd. Suite 100, Boise, ID 83706-6659 (208) 387-7000 i Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. | Plan of Operations for Geophysical Investigation TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures Figure 1. Location of Proposed Project ...................................................................................... 5 Figure 2. Overview of Proposed Action Activities Project Area Map ..........................................11 List of Tables Table 1. Temporary Road Use Authorization and Previously Authorized Road Use Associated with the Proposed Drilling Sites ................................................................................... 8 Table 3. Summary of Proposed Drilling Activities ....................................................................... 9 Table 4. Summary of Proposed Drilling Activity – NFS Lands ...................................................15 Table 5. Summary of Proposed Drilling Activity – Infrastructure on NFS Lands (Reclamation) ..16 Table 6. Summary of Drilling in RCAs .......................................................................................17 Table 7. Summer Drilling Project Traffic – Post-Landmark/Johnson Creek Road Opening June 2 through November 30 .................................................................................................24 Table 8. Winter Drilling Project Traffic - Pre-Landmark/Johnson Creek Road Opening December 1 through June 1 .........................................................................................................24 Table 9. Standard Operating Procedures ..................................................................................28 Table 10. Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive, Candidate, and Proposed Plants Known or Suspected of Occurring on the Forest ........................................................................47 Attachments Attachment A – Proposed Drilling Site Maps (topographical, aerial, slope maps for each site) • Figure 3: Upper East Fork South Fork Vicinity • Figure 4: Upper Meadow Creek Sheet 1 Vicinity • Figure 5: Upper Meadow Creek Sheet 2 Vicinity • Figure 6: Meadow Creek Vicinity • Figure 7: Middle East Fork South Fork Vicinity • Figure 8: Middle East Fork South Fork and Garnet Creek Vicinity • Figure 9: Lower East Fork South Fork and Fiddle Creek Vicinity • Figure 10: Midnight Creek and West End Vicinity • Figure 11: Hennessy Creek Vicinity • Figure 12: West End Access Vicinity Attachment B – Photographs of Typical Drilling Operations Attachment C – Photographs of Reclamation Activities Attachment D – Example of BMP Inspection Sheet River Quarry at Parkcenter, 412 E. Parkcenter Blvd. Suite 100, Boise, ID 83706-6659 hdrinc.com (208) 387-7000 ii Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. | Plan of Operations for Geophysical Investigation ACRONYMS Acronyms Acronym Definition ATV all-terrain vehicle BMPs best management practices CFR Code of Federal Regulations DOT U.S. Department of Transportation EFSFSR East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River FAA Federal Aviation Administration FC Fiddle Creek FS Forest Service road ft2 square feet GC Garnet Creek IDAPA Idaho Administrative Procedures Act IDEQ Idaho Department of Environmental Quality IDL Idaho Department of Lands IDWR Idaho Department of Water Resources LEFSF Lower East Fork South Fork of the Salmon River LPV Light person vehicles MC Meadow Creek MEFSF Middle East Fork South Fork of the Salmon River MID Midnight Creek MGII Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. NFS National Forest System NOAA fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service fisheries NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration POD point of diversion POO plan of operations RCA riparian conservation area SPCC spill prevention control and countermeasures SOP standard operating procedure SPT standard penetration testing SWPPP stormwater pollution prevention plan UEFSF Upper East Fork South Fork of the Salmon River UMC Upper Meadow Creek USFS U.S. Forest Service USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service WE West End Creek hdrinc.com River Quarry at Parkcenter, 412 E. Parkcenter Blvd. Suite 100, Boise, ID 83706-6659 (208) 387-7000 iii Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. | Plan of Operations for Geophysical Investigation INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction (6/22/2017) Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. (MGII) holds unpatented and patented mineral claims in the Stibnite- Yellow Pine District in central Idaho. This plan of operations (POO) addresses geotechnical drilling activities planned to initiate in 2018. 1.1 General Information Name of project: Stibnite Gold Project Type of operation: Geotechnical Drilling Proposed start-up date: January 2018 Expected total duration of this Summer drilling: June 2018 through October 2018 Plan of Operations: Winter drilling: January 2018 through March 2018 November 2018 through December 2018 Expected date of final Winter 2018 completion of all required reclamation: 1.2 Project Owner/Operator Claim Owner: Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. 405 S. 8th Street, Suite 201 Boise, ID 83702 Authorized Field Representative: Kyle Fend Environmental Superintendent 405 S. 8th Street, Suite 201 Boise, ID 83702 Tele: 208.901.3047 [email protected] Corporate Contact: Laurel Sayer President and CEO, Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. 405 S. 8th Street, Suite 201 Boise, ID 83702 Tele: 208-901-3050 [email protected] 1 Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. | Plan of Operations for Geophysical Investigation INTRODUCTION 1.3 Land Status As of November 2011, MGII’s holdings consist of approximately 27,100 acres (10,972 hectares) of unpatented and patented claims, including 1,334 federal unpatented load claims and 46