Northern Empire Minerals Ltd. ("Northern Empire") and Shear Minerals Ltd.(SRM:TSXV) ("Shear") announce the additional acquisition of 600,000 acres of federal prospecting permits and claims surrounding and adjacent to the original Churchill Diamond Project, Nunavut Territory, Canada. The new ground was acquired based on the results of the Joint Venture's fall regional sampling program where 8 anomalous samples with probe confirmed kimberlite indicator minerals.

The Churchill Project is located in the Churchill Craton of the Keewatin district of Nunavut. Northern Empire holds a 35% interest in the project with partners Shear (51%) and Hunter Exploration Group (14%). The project now comprises in excess of 1,000,000 acres of favorable ground near the community of Rankin Inlet. The region has been largely unexplored for diamonds in the past. The partnership acquired the ground after two years of regional work that recovered kimberlite indicator minerals from regional samples. Recently, January 30, 2003, the partners approved a $2.5 million exploration program on the project.

Northern Empire Minerals Ltd. is one of the largest landholders of diamond exploration properties in Canada. The Company has 14 diamond exploration projects in the Coronation, Melville Peninsula, and Rankin Inlet areas of Nunavut. In addition, the Company has two diamond projects in the Otish Mountains region of Quebec.

On behalf of the Board
NORTHERN EMPIRE MINERALS LTD.
/s/ "John Robins"
John E. Robins, P. Geo
President