Western Sierra Begins Pre-Production Testing of Gold Basin Mine

Western Sierra Mining Corp. announced that it has initiated pre-production testing for the Gold Basin placer mine, located near Wilhoit, Arizona. Total proven gold reserves for the mine exceed 150,000 ounces, with additional probable and indicated gold reserves of 400,000 ounces.

The Gold Basin Placer Mine is currently being operated under a lease option from Pine Creek Mining. Western Sierra has an option to purchase the mine which it may pursue pending results of the testing and financing opportunities currently being explored by the Company. The testing, expected to take two to three weeks, is being done in conjunction with previous documented data collected and reported by outside and independent geologists over a sixty-year period in order to provide the Company with direction for initial production. Management intends to update shareholders as new data becomes available.

Michael Chaffee, CEO & President of Western Sierra Mining, commented, “We have finished the excavation work opening up some 40 sites and exposing in excess of 1000 feet of the ore body at both the Gold Basin and Red Hill locations. Processing the test site material has begun to confirm past historical work as well as providing direction for the first large scale production program.”

Western Sierra Mining is an aggressive gold and silver exploration and mining company focused on the historic mining districts of the Bradshaw mountains of Arizona with additional areas of interest within Nevada and Mexico. Current projects include the Gold Basin Mine comprised of four mining claims located on some 332 acres in Central Arizona and the Gold River Mines including the SunGold, Oro Cache, and the Big Chief mines, all of which have demonstrated high-grade mineralization with previous histories of production. Long-term Company goals are to create maximum shareholder value by continuing to build a strong base of properties and advance these projects toward production.