There were many announcements of new drill programs this week following the PDAC 2008 conference last week. Let's talk about a few.

Acero-Martin Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: ASD, Pinksheets: ASDFF) has commenced a major drilling program on its 100%-owned Pinaya gold/copper project in southern Peru. The first phase of the program is now underway and will consist of approximately 6,000 meters of diamond drilling, with over 25,000 meters currently planned for the year. Based on a previous exploration, including 70 drill core holes totaling 15,000 meters, an initial independently calculated NI 43-101 resource estimated that the 11,100-hectare Pinaya project hosts an indicated resource of 29.13 million tonnes grading 0.53 g/t gold and 0.42% copper and an inferred resource of 12.72 million tonnes grading 0.41 g/t gold and 0.41% copper. This equates to approximately 498,000 troy ounces of gold and 269,000,000 pounds of copper in the indicated category, and 168,000 troy ounces of gold and 115,000,000 pounds of copper in the inferred. As of February 2008, Acero has completed an additional 79 holes bringing the project total to 40,900 meters and 149 holes. The focus of this year's drilling program will primarily consist of large step-out drill holes in areas of known mineralization. The goal will be to expand the project's overall resource base.

King’s Bay Gold Corp. (TSX-V: KBG) and Mainstream Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: MJO, Pinksheets: MSMCF) have begun a large Phase 2 diamond drilling program at their high-grade gold Bobjo Mine project in Ontario. This program will involve 15,000 meters of drilling using two machines. The initial 2007 Phase 1 exploration program of 5,300 meters included a new high-grade gold discovery with gold being intersected in almost every hole. It also included a new rare metals and rare earth elements discovery that could possibly prove to be very valuable because of the ever increasing industrial and consumer demand for such materials. Highlights of the initial 2007 Phase 1 diamond drilling program included 1.20 meters grading 118.88 g/t gold and 2.45 meters grading 53.61 g/t gold. Most intersections were under 2 meters in length and graded between 4 and 20 g/t gold. The joint venture is split 50/50 with Mainstream Minerals being the operator of the 10,360-hectare project.

Gold Canyon Resources Inc. (TSX-V: GCU) has started the 2008 winter drill program at its 100%-owned Springpole gold project located in the Red Lake Mining District of Ontario. The new program will consist of a minimum of 2,000 meters of diamond drilling on the +8,000 hectare property. In 2006 Gold Canyon released the first NI 43-101 resource for the Springpole project that estimated a measured and indicated resource of 249,000 tonnes grading 5.66 g/t and inferred resource of 1.353 million tonnes grading 4.53 g/t gold. This equates to approximately 45,500 ounces of gold in the measured and indicated category and 197,000 ounces in the inferred category. Gold Canyon’s 2008 drill program is designed to drill outside of the core resource area and along a recently discovered sediment hosted gold zone discovered at the end of the 2007 winter drill program, where a 4.26 meters intersection grading 8.4 g/t gold was recovered.

New Dimension Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: NDR) will soon break ground on a new drill program at the company's Blackrock gold/silver project located in the Como mining district of western Nevada. The new drill program will consist of a minimum of 1,000 meters of reverse circulation drilling. The Blackrock project contains a significant, largely untested, epithermal quartz vein system with a known strike length of 1,000 meters and widths of up to 15 meters. Reported surface sampling on the property has returned anomalous to significant precious metal values along its entire strike length. Of the 179 samples taken from the main vein system by previous owners, (excluding a 60 g/t gold high value), the average gold grade is 0.89 g/t gold. Of these samples, 28 exceed 1.00 g/t gold and average 4.44 g/t gold. The new drill program will focus on the southernmost 300 meter segment of the vein and consist of 12 to 15 angle holes placed along the vein trend. By way of it's wholly-owned subsidiary, New Dimension can earn a 100% interest in the property from Gryphon Gold Corp. (TSX: GGN, OTC BB: GYPH).

Altair Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: AVX) and Full Metal Minerals Corp.(TSX-V: FMM) have commenced drilling at the CJ gold project located on east-central Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska. This phase of exploration will include a minimum 12-hole, 1,500-meter program, specifically targeting high-grade gold mineralization at the historically producing Dawson Mine. Historic drill results from a limited 1980 Dawson Mine drill program include 8.8 meters grading 18.7 g/t gold and 6.3 meters grading 28.3 g/t gold. A small 8-hole drill campaign in 2007 recovered intersections as high as 6.26 meters grading 2.74 g/t gold and 2.05 meters grading 9.56 g/t gold. The CJ project is owned 60/40 by Altair Ventures and Full Metal Minerals.

Golden Arrow Resources Corp. (TSX-V: GRG) has commenced a minimum 19-hole, 2,200-meter diamond drill program on its 100% owned San Jose gold project in Jujuy Province, northwest Argentina. The company has carried out extensive surface channel sampling on the 1,985-hectare project over the past two years, identifying three significant mineralized zones along a 1.2 kilometer trend. All three zones will be tested during the current drill program. Highlights from channel sampling include 32 meters grading 0.77 g/t gold and 23 meters grading 0.99 g/t gold.

Luna Gold Corp. (TSX-V: LGC, Pinksheets: LGCU) has awarded a drill contract for its wholly-own Cachoeira gold project located in the state of Pará, Brazil. The program will begin next month drill a minimum of 6,000 meters using two rigs. In 2000, Gold Fields Ltd. drilled 38 holes (diamond and RC) totaling more than 5,000 meters. Highlights from this program include 80.1 meters grading 2.34 g/t gold and 71.9 meters grading 2.65 g/t gold. Most recently, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (now Vale) drilled 20 holes totaling 3,000 meters on one of the northern permits, as part of an earn-in commitment in 2004. Highlights from this program included 16 meters grading 5.74 g/t gold and 7 meters grading 18.97 g/t gold.

NFX Gold Inc. (TSX-V: NFX) has commenced a small 800 meter drilling program on its 100%-owned Kirkland-Wright property. Kirkland-Wright consists of 16 claim covering 3,216 hectares and is located 1.5 kilometers north-east of the former producing Martin-Bird Gold Mine which, according to a 1949 report, contains an historical resource of 157,600 tons grading 0.14 oz/ton gold and 23,500 tons grading 0.21 oz/ton gold.

CGA Mining Ltd. (TSX: CGA, ASX: CGX, Pinksheets: CGAFF) is undertaking a 25,000 meter drill program in 2008 on the company's 100%-owned Masbate gold project located in the Philippines. The Masbate Project is an extensively studied, advanced-stage development project with 55,686 meters of reverse circulation drilling and 58,757 meters of diamond drilling. The project has considerable scale with indicated resources of 59.3 million tonnes grading1.55 g/t gold containing 3.3 million ounces and inferred resources of 33.7 million tonnes grading 1.63 g/t gold containing 1.77 million ounces, including a probable mining reserve of 37.4 million tonnnes grading1.65 g/t gold containing 1.984 million ounces.CGA believes that the project has very good exploration potential, both from the further conversion of existing resource ounces to reserves, and the potential to further expand the existing 5 million ounce resource base of the project.The goal of the 2008 program is to convert known resources to reserves as well as delineating additional near surface resources. Recent drilling at Masbate, has intersected high-grade gold values including 42 meters grading 10.51 g/t gold.

Canplats Resource Corp. (TSX-V: CPQ, Pinksheets: CPQRF)
Camino Rojo project, Mexico

Drilhole ID Number	Intersection	Gold Grade	Comments
CR-15	240 meters	0.84 g/t	included 17.81 g/t Ag, 0.49% Zn, and 0.36% Pb
including	86 meters	1.38 g/t	included 23.40 g/t Ag, 0.51% Zn, and 0.31% Pb
CR-20	236 meters	0.63 g/t	included 20.21 g/t Ag, 0.55% Zn, and 0.33% Pb
including	148 meters	0.72 g/t	included 21.46 g/t Ag, 0.65% Zn, and 0.35% Pb

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Esperanza Silver Corp. (TSX-V: EPZ)
Cerro Jumil project, Mexico

Drilhole ID Number	Intersection	Gold Grade	Comments
RCHE-07-67	163.5 meters	0.87 g/t	n/a
RCHE-07-76	79.5 meters	1.04 g/t	n/a
RCHE-07-80	36.0 meters	2.53 g/t	n/a
RCHE-07-80	54.0 meters	1.44 g/t	n/a

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Dundee Precious Metals Inc. (TSX: DPM)
Shahumyan Mine, Armenia

Drilhole ID Number	Intersection	Gold Grade	Comments
SHDDR0001	65 meters	0.51 g/t	included 30 g/t Ag, 0.1% Cu, 0.81% Zn, and 0.02% Pb
SHDDR0008	89 meters	1.42 g/t	included 66 g/t Ag, 0.11% Cu, 1.13%Zn, and 0.03% Pb

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Central Asia Resources (ASX: CVR)
Altyntas prospect, Kazakhstan

Drilhole ID Number	Intersection	Gold Grade	Comments
DDH1064	30.5 meters	5.56 g/t	n/a
including	14.4 meters	10.97 g/t	n/a
DDH1070	62.6 meters	1.00 g/t	n/a
including	21.3 meters	2.12 g/t	n/a

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Magellan Minerals Ltd. (TSX-V: MNM)
Cuiu Cuiu project, Brazil

Drilhole ID Number	Intersection	Gold Grade	Comments
CC-12-07	29.8 meters	1.48 g/t	n/a
CC-13-07	65.8 meters	3.54 g/t	one of the best intersections of the week
CC-14-07	87.9 meters	1.11 g/t	n/a

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