Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – April 16, 2026) – Founders Metals Inc. (TSXV: FDR) (OTCQX: FDMIF) (FSE: 9DL0) (“Founders” or the “Company”) announces the completion of a comprehensive two-year environmental baseline assessment at its Antino Gold Project (“Antino” or the “Project”) in southeastern Suriname. The study, conducted by Caribbean Environmental Risk Solutions (“CARI-ERS”), spanned four seasonal campaigns from July 2024 to November 2025 – covering two wet seasons and two dry seasons – and represents the first environmental baseline study at the Antino project area. Environmental baseline data is a prerequisite for environmental impact assessment and project feasibility work, and its early completion positions the Company to advance these longer lead-time studies in parallel with its ongoing exploration program.
Colin Padget, President & CEO, commented, “Environmental baseline data is one of the longest lead-time items required to advance a project toward development, and completing this work now keeps us well ahead of the curve. The data collected over these four seasonal campaigns provides us with the evidence base required to design future development plans in a manner that meets international environmental standards. It also positions us to move directly into environmental impact assessment and feasibility work when the time comes to advance the project toward production.”
Highlights
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First-ever environmental baseline at Antino: No previous operator conducted environmental baseline studies at the project area, despite exploration activity dating back to early 1990s. The completed study fills this critical data gap and establishes the evidential foundation required for future environmental impact assessment and project feasibility work.
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International standards compliance: All fieldwork was conducted in accordance with IFC Performance Standards and the Convention on Biological Diversity, providing a dataset acceptable to potential future international funding sources.
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Comprehensive four-season dataset: The study integrated aquatic ecosystem assessments (water quality, sediment quality, fish communities, benthic macrofauna, periphyton, and environmental DNA) with terrestrial biodiversity evaluations (mammals, birds, and botany) across ten sampling locations and four seasonal campaigns.
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Pre-existing environmental impacts documented: The study identified and quantified pre-existing environmental impacts attributable to decades of small-scale mining activity, including habitat fragmentation and alteration of stream systems. These impacts predate Founders’ involvement and provide essential context for future environmental management and rehabilitation planning.
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Positions Company for future development studies: Completion of the baseline assessment is a prerequisite for environmental impact assessment and feasibility studies. Having this work substantially complete at the exploration stage allows Founders to advance these longer lead-time workstreams in parallel with its ongoing drill program as the Company works toward a maiden mineral resource estimate.
