Atna Resources Appoints David Watkins As President and CEO.

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2000

Atna Resources Ltd. (TSE:ATN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. David Watkins as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director effective March 21, 2000.

Mr. Peter DeLancey will assume the role of Chairman of the Board and Chief Geologist. Mr. Watkins responsibilities will include establishing short and long term strategies, objectives, plans, and policies for the company to enhance shareholder value. Mr. Watkins is the former President of Cyprus Exploration and Development Company and Senior Vice President of Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, a multi-national Fortune 500 mining company with annual revenues of $3.2 billion (Cyprus Amax was recently acquired by the Phelps Dodge Mining Company). Mr. Watkins primary responsibility at Cyprus Amax was to lead and manage the company's worldwide exploration and business development program.

Mr. Watkins is an international mining executive with over 30 years of experience in exploration and mining operations. Mr. Watkins has completed a number of successful mergers and acquisitions and has led the discovery of seven metal deposits that were built into profitable mining operations and several others that will be developed within the next few years. Mr. Watkins managed a worldwide portfolio of mines, development properties and exploration projects and has experience in all aspects of the minerals business including: smelting operations, metallurgy, marketing, and finance.

The Company would also like to announce:

1) The granting of an incentive stock option to David Watkins to purchase 1,000,000 common shares. The option will be granted for a period of two (2) years, commencing on March 22, 2000, at $0.66 per share.

2) A private placement for up to 1,000,000 units (the "Private Placement Units"), each unit comprised of one flow-through common share (the "FT Shares") and one non-flow-through non-transferable share purchase warrant (a "Non-FT Warrant"), in the capital stock of the Company at $0.66 per unit has been negotiated to net the treasury an aggregate of $660,000. One Non-FT Warrant will entitle the placees to purchase one additional common share of the Company for a period of five (5) years from the date of the initial purchase at $0.76 per share. The common shares and any shares issued on the exercise of the Non-FT Warrants forming a part of the Private Placement Units will be subject to a "hold period" of 12 months from the date hereof.

The proceeds of the FT Shares will be used to carry out further exploration of the Company's properties in the Yukon Territories and the proceeds from the exercise of the Non-FT Warrants will provide general working capital.