West Hawk Appoints Coal Mining and Coal Gasification Guru.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- West Hawk Development Corp. (the "Company"), (TSX VENTURE:WHD)(FWB:H5N) is pleased to announce that Wm. Mark Hart, PhD. MBA has agreed to join the company's executive team as a Director and Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Hart has a PhD. in mining Engineering & Environmental Mgt, Colorado School of Mines - 1997; MS, Mine Engineering, West Virginia University -1994; MBA - Masters in Business Administration, University of Phoenix in Denver -1991; BS/BE/AS, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Mining Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology, respectively - Fairmont State University 1974,1986 & 1988.

Dr. Hart's 30 year experience in the Mining and Energy Business includes:

Cyprus Amax Minerals Corporation/STD. Oil Minerals - Officer and President/CEO of Cyprus Australia, Profit and Loss responsibilities, "P&L", for 9 coal mines and 2 ports. Senior VP of 18 coal mining operations in the US - P&L responsibilities and VP of Engineering for 33 mines producing coal, copper, iron ore, molybdenum, talc, lithium and gold;

Newmont Mining Company - Officer and VP with P&L responsibilities for Canadian Mining Operations, VP of worldwide Business Processes for Indonesia, Mexico, US, Peru, Bolivia, Canada, and Uzbekistan;

NRG Energy Inc. - Officer and President of Europe, Latin America and the Middle East - P&L responsibilities for 34 power plants, over 50 million tons per annum of coal production and 2 Trading Companies with offices in London, Amsterdam, Prague, Istanbul, Zurich, Lapaz, Rio de Janeiro and Lima;

Sarcoal Energy Inc. / Sardegna Energy S.p.A. - Officer, President and CEO, P&L for coal mining and Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant, Italy;

Consolidation Coal Company (Consol Energy), Dr Hart started his career at Consol and worked at over 20 underground and surface coal mining operations.

Dr. Hart's credentials and experience in high volume underground longwall and open cut coal mining are the perfect fit for exploiting the flat lying stratigraphy of the anthracite coal seams that constitute the 980,000,000 ton speculative resource at the company's flagship Groundhog Coal Fields Project, 240 km north of Smithers B.C.

Dr. Hart has also agreed to accept the position of Director, President and CEO of Northern Clean Fuels Inc. "NCFI", a federally incorporated wholly owned subsidiary of West Hawk Development Corp. Initially, NCFI will focus on clean coal technology applications within British Columbia, starting with the present opportunities at West Hawk's Australian Creek thermal coal project located 32 km's south of Quesnel, B.C. where the company has commissioned EBA Engineering to complete a National Instrument 43-101 compliant report of the compiled historic drill hole data. EBA will engineer an initial 20-hole drill program designed to advance current inferred resources to the measured and indicated category while determining sufficient coal resource tonnages to supply the proposed Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant and the fuel to liquids plant envisioned by Northern Clean Fuels Inc. The proposed power plant has an expected $800,000,000 Cdn. capital cost with a targeted +22% Internal Rate of Return and is designed to produce approximately 8600 barrels/day of zero sulphur "green" diesel fuel, 1600 bpd naphtha and 250 mega watts of green electric power per day for 30 years.

Dr. Hart is considered an expert in Coal Mining and has considerable knowledge in Gasification Technologies having worked as a senior executive for NRG Energy, the second largest independent power producing company in the world at the time. He has since, overseen the feasibility study, mine plan, Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) for a 500 Mw IGCC Power Plant in Sardegna, Italy. Dr Hart has also been consulting on Clean Coal Technologies to some of the largest power utilities in the United States and Europe. Dr. Hart worked for American Electric Power Fuel Supply at 22 coal mining operations for AEP coal fired power plants across the U.S.

"I am very excited to be working with the management team at both West Hawk and Northern Clean Fuels, who have done an outstanding job of identifying and acquiring significant coal resources proximal to infrastructure during a time when coal is making a resurgence via Clean Coal Technologies and rapidly becoming an acceptable and sustainable fuel to power our future energy needs" states Dr. Hart.

"Having an accomplished mining executive of Mark Hart's caliber join our company constitutes a watershed event defining the company's evolution from a mineral exploration to a mine development company. Mark holds world production records for long wall coal mining efficiencies and coal production per man-hour units. He also holds two mining patents. His contacts in the global mining and power industries will provide the leverage needed to advance West Hawk's ambitious plans" stated Michael Townsend West Hawk's President.

In addition, Christopher R. Verrico, the Company's Executive Vice President, has agreed to take the position of Chief Executive Officer of West Hawk Development Corp. Michael D. Townsend will remain President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The Company also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to its Directors and Officers for the purchase up to 650,000 common shares in the capital stock of the company, exercisable for a period of five years, at a price of $0.35 cents per share and an additional 400,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.55 per share for a period up to five years.

About the Company - West Hawk is a mineral exploration and Development Company committed to building shareholder value through the development of its four Coal properties in Northern British Columbia.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Michael Townsend"
President and Chairman of the Board

This news release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the British Columbia Securities Commission and the United States Securities & Exchange Commission.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT YET REVIEWED AND DOES NOT TAKE RE SPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

West Hawk Development Corp. (TSX VENTURE:WHD)