- Mariposa County approved a three-year permit allowing Lode Gold (TSXV:LOD) to conduct surface exploration and drilling at its Fremont Gold Mine in California
- The company plans a 3,500 to 4,500-metre drilling program in the second half of 2026 to gather technical data supporting a Prefeasibility Study targeted for 2027
- Exploration will focus on resource expansion, reserve conversion, hydrogeological testing, and evaluating multiple high-potential targets across the broader Fremont property
- Lode Gold stock (TSXV:LOD) last traded at $0.38
Lode Gold Resources (TSXV:LOD) announced that Mariposa County has approved the company’s Application for an Administrative Use Permit (AUP), authorizing surface mineral exploration and drilling activities at its Fremont Gold Mine property in California.
The permit, which is valid for three years, covers exploration activities on the company’s privately owned patented land and enables Lode Gold to move forward with a planned drilling campaign at its flagship Fremont project during the second half of 2026.
According to the company, the program will consist of approximately 3,500 to 4,500 metres of drilling and is intended to support technical studies required for a prefeasibility study (PFS) targeted for completion in 2027.
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Focus on technical data collection
Lode Gold said the drilling program will collect geological, geotechnical and hydrological information that will help establish key development milestones for the project.
Among the primary objectives of the campaign is metallurgical optimization. The company plans to complete dedicated metallurgical core drilling to update historical processing assumptions and refine recovery parameters. Lode Gold noted that previous technical studies conducted in 2014 reported gold recoveries of 91 per cent.
The program will also include geotechnical and rock mechanics investigations using large-diameter core samples. The data is expected to contribute to underground mine design planning and support future permitting efforts.
In addition, the company intends to carry out infill drilling in the Pine Tree-Josephine zones. The objective is to improve data density within existing indicated resource areas and provide technical information that could support future conversion of indicated resources into mineral reserves as part of the planned PFS.
Hydrogeological drilling is also planned. Vertical drill holes will be used to conduct permeability testing and rock mass characterization while simultaneously evaluating portions of the mineralized system that have seen limited historical drilling. Lode Gold said these holes are designed to serve both hydrogeological and exploration purposes.
Exploration potential beyond the PFS
Beyond the technical work associated with the prefeasibility study, the company highlighted what it describes as significant exploration potential across the approximately four-kilometre strike length of the Fremont property.
One of the principal targets is the Pine Tree-Josephine system, where the mineralized zones remain open at depth and along strike. According to the company, three deep step-out drill holes reached depths of up to 1,300 metres and intersected mineralized structures. Lode Gold said the results support its interpretation of the deposit as a structurally controlled orogenic gold system.
The company stated that deeper resource expansion opportunities are expected to be evaluated through underground exploration following completion of the PFS, potentially using a planned decline ramp.
Another area of focus is the Chicken Gulch target, where historical drilling density remains relatively limited. Lode Gold said future work will concentrate on infill drilling aimed at expanding and improving confidence in the existing inferred resource.
The Queen Specimen target also remains part of the company’s longer-term development plans. According to Lode Gold, the zone currently accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the project’s existing resource inventory. Exploration and evaluation activities are expected to continue following completion of the PFS and the development of underground access infrastructure.
Regional targets under evaluation
The company also reported that it is evaluating nine greenfield prospects across the broader property. Areas identified as priorities include the Rosie Jane and Drunken Gulch prospects.
Lode Gold said ongoing studies are focused on identifying structural controls and generating additional drill targets. The company noted that geological modelling and exploration efforts are being supplemented by artificial intelligence-assisted predictive analysis, which has been used to support target generation across the property.
With county approval now secured, the Fremont project is expected to advance into its next phase of exploration and technical evaluation as the company works toward completion of its prefeasibility study in 2027.
“Securing the 3-year AUP provides the regulatory framework required to systematically advance Fremont. This upcoming drilling campaign is focused on the core mineralized zones that will form the basis of our 2027 pre-feasibility study,” the company’s CEO, Wendy Chan, said in a news release. “By evaluating grade continuity along strike, testing extensions at depth, and advancing our regional exploration targets, we aim to deliver the technical data necessary to define the project’s development path.”
About Lode Gold and its Fremont Gold Mine
The Fremont Gold Mine is Lode Gold’s flagship project located in Mariposa County, California. The property consists of privately owned patented land and has been the focus of ongoing exploration and development studies aimed at assessing its potential for future underground mining operations.
Lode Gold stock (TSXV:LOD) last traded at $0.38 and though it is down 8 per cent since the year began, it is up nearly 100 per cent from where it was this time last year.
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