Westward Gold exploring Campfire Target at Toiyabe Hills, Nevada

Westward Gold Inc. [CSE: WG; OTCQB: WGLIF; FSE: IM50] reported that pre-drilling earthwork activities, including road and drill-pad construction, began during the week of May 12 at its flagship Toiyabe Hills Property in Lander County, Nevada.

This followed approval of the company’s Notice of Intent (NOI) at the beginning of the month from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The NOI allows for up to 5 acres of disturbance at the Campfire Target Complex and Westward has planned for up to 12 drill sites to support approximately 5,000 metres (~16,500 feet) of reverse-circulation (RC ) drilling in 2025.

Westward’s chosen drilling contractor, National EWP, Inc., is expected to mobilize an RC rig to the property June 16, with drilling commencing shortly thereafter. The company has selected a Schramm T-685 which has a maximum depth capacity of 3,000 ft (~915 metres), to allow for greater flexibility should the observed geology warrant extending holes beyond their initial planned depths. Drill samples will be shipped to Paragon Geochemical in Sparks, NV, for assays on a consistent basis throughout the campaign.

Robert Edie, Westward’s Vice President Exploration, commented: “We have designed this Phase I program at Campfire with maximum adaptability in mind, and with an eye towards follow-up campaigns. We’ve permitted up to 12 sites with approximately 500-metre collar spacings, granting us significant coverage of the target’s alteration footprint. We selected an RC rig that can reach meaningful depths, and we will have casing on hand to preserve our re-entry option with diamond drilling. Our technical team will be at the rig each day to monitor progress and make important decisions based on rock samples coming out of the ground. We’re very excited to be testing our targeting concepts at Toiyabe Hills and are eagerly anticipating the launch of Campfire’s maiden drill program.”

Near-Term Exploration Highlights at Toiyabe Hills:

Campfire Drilling: Access road and drill pad construction (ongoing as of May 12).

Campfire Drilling: Drill rig mobilization to site (expected on June 16).

Campfire Drilling: Commencement of drilling (expected 2-3 days after rig mobilization).

New Target Generation: Expansion of gravity survey coverage over newly-staked ground (data collection completed at the end of March, final interpretations pending internal review).

New Target Generation: Expansion of surface sampling coverage over newly-staked ground (soil grid completed early May, assays pending).

New Target Generation: Expansion of rock-chip sample coverage & collection of new road-cut channel samples (ongoing in tandem with geological mapping/post road-construction).

New Target Generation: Anaconda-style geological mapping, adding 10-12 km2 to existing coverage (ongoing throughout field season).

In parallel with the company’s inaugural drill program at Campfire, additional exploration activities across the greater Toiyabe Hills footprint (~60 km2) are already well underway and will continue throughout the field season. The primary goal of these programs will be to advance other potential target areas, with a particular focus on the footwall of a district-scale, mantle-tapping structural corridor that runs north-south spanning the full extent of the Property (the “Hilltop Corridor”). The company believes the western flank of this important structural feature to be a preferential setting for gold deposition, as supported by ever-growing geochemical datasets exposed host-rock stratigraphy (namely the Devonian Wenban Formation), geophysical datasets, and detailed geological mapping. This is also a classic structural setting for several of Nevada’s giant gold deposits.

As it relates to Westward’s most recent land expansion (72 claims added in the southwest), the company has recently completed two programs, adding to its geophysical and geochemical databases. At the end of March, a gravity survey was completed over the new ground by MWH Geosurveys of Reno, NV. This survey tied into – and extended – a previous survey from 2024, and was composed of 148 unique stations on a 200 x 200-metre square grid.

Raw data from the survey were sent to Jim L. Wright of Wright Geophysics for interpretation. Mr. Wright is a renowned geophysicist with decades of experience in Carlin-type gold systems and was instrumental in bolstering Westward’s Campfire Target Complex with key observations from the 2024 gravity survey.

The 2025 survey to the southwest covers an emerging area of interest, based on preliminary surface sampling, geological mapping, and its location in the footwall of the Hilltop Corridor. Results point to a highly-complex structural setting, with evidence of intense disruption – important features to consider when evaluating the potential for favourable hydrothermal fluid flow and mineral deposition. Detailed interpretations of the geophysical data will be outlined in future press releases.

In addition to the gravity survey extending the company’s geophysical datasets, Westward recently completed collection of soil samples across a grid over the new ground. Samples will be analyzed by ALS in Reno, NV, and – in tandem with the new geophysical data and geological mapping – will provide additional insight into new potential target areas.

Additional upcoming exploration activities will include a continuation of 1:5000 scale Anaconda-style geological mapping, led by Technical Advisor Steven Koehler and VP Exploration Robert Edie. Westward expects to cover 10-12 km2 during the 2025 field season, with a focus on previously unmapped areas of the Hilltop Corridor footwall that coincide with geochemical anomalies and compelling geophysical features.

The recently staked ground covering an exposure of lower-plate Wenban Formation will also be mapped. Lastly, the Company will take advantage of exposures created by Campfire road construction to conduct a thorough rock-chip channel sampling program, which will also encompass areas of interest identified while mapping.