February 24, 2009 -- Vancouver, British Columbia -- Happy Creek Minerals Ltd. (TSX-V: HPY, the "Company") is pleased to announce it has completed the 2008 exploration on its 100% owned Art-DL property, located approximately 50 kilometres northeast of 100 Mile House, and fifteen kilometres southeast of the former Boss Mountain molybdenum mine, in south-central British Columbia, Canada.

The Company feels the geological setting and nature of mineralization (sediment hosted gold) on the Art-DL property has important implications as it is not only similar to deposits currently being developed to the north, but shares similarities with some of the largest gold deposits in the world.

During 2008, the Company completed a program of geological mapping, rock, silt and soil sampling, with most of the work focused to the north of the 1880's DL adit (tunnel with only one entrance). Historical drill holes were also re-logged and sampled.  This reconnaissance stage exploration has returned positive results that require follow up.

Results from the DL prospect
Geological mapping in 2008 has confirmed the DL geology is similar to two significant gold deposits located to the north of the property. The Spanish Mountain property is estimated to contain 67.06 million tonnes grading 0.81 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Peatfield and Giroux, 2008), with an updated resource in preparation. Similarly, the Frasergold property hosts an historic non-43-101 resource of 3.1 million tonnes grading 1.71 g/t gold (Campbell et al., 1991), with an updated resource in preparation. In addition, Skygold Ventures has recently announced the Spanish Creek discovery, with up to 223.0 grams per tonne gold over 0.50 metres, located approximately 1.5 kilometers to the south of Happy Creeks DL property.

In 2008, soil sampling was performed between one and 2.2 kilometres north of the DL adit and returned positive gold and silver anomalies. The soil geochemical grid is comprised of east-west oriented lines that are 200 metres apart and with samples taken every 50 metres along the lines.

Soil samples contain 10.9 to 110.9 ppb (parts per billion) gold and a stream sediment sample returned 882.7 ppb (0.88 g/t) gold within this positive anomaly. Overall, positive values of gold in soil occur approximately 50 to 200 metres in width and 1.2 kilometres in length that remains open in extent.  The Company is also pleasantly surprised with positive values of silver obtained in the soil samples.  Values of 1.5 to 3.5 ppm (parts per million or grams per tonne) silver over 250 metres in width, and 1.6 to 5.4 ppm silver over 200 metres in width also occur.  Trace elements antimony and arsenic (metal) can be associated with gold-silver deposits, and are clearly present at the Art-DL property. The northernmost soil line contains 2.3 to 10.5 ppm antimony over 350 metres in width and remains open to the north. Overall, positive antimony values in soil occur in an area approximately 800 metres by 400 metres in dimension. Other positive gold, silver, antimony, arsenic and molybdenum values were obtained that remain unexplained, and all soil anomalies remain undefined and open in extent.

About the DL Property
Recent geological mapping confirms the property is underlain dominantly by the basal black phyllite unit of the Nicola Group and is cut by the Eureka Thrust, a continental scale fault zone. Approximately 200 metres west of the DL adit, intrusive dykes of intermediate to felsic composition cut the sedimentary rocks and contain trace stibnite (antimony sulphide) and arsenopyrite (arsenic sulphide) that may be associated with the gold mineralization at the DL and adjacent Art prospect. The DL property covers an area initially explored in the late 1880's, with a 12.0 metre long adit developed on a quartz vein containing 4.12 g/t gold over 2.0 metres and 4.57 g/t gold over 1.6 metres, and up to 42.9 g/t gold over 1.0 metre. Although three short drill holes in 2001 returned no significant results, a question remains whether the holes intersected the adit quartz vein. Positive values of gold in soil extend over 800 metres northwest from the adit and remain unexplained. Approximately 450 metres south of the adit, a 2001 drill hole intersected 1.09 g/t gold over 1.5 metres in the first sample at the top of the hole.

Results from the Art prospect
The Art prospect is located approximately three kilometres southwest of the DL adit. Geological mapping in 2008 has described numerous rotated structural blocks of dominantly mafic volcanic rocks, located on the upper side of the previously described Eureka Thrust fault. The Art prospect contains an intrusion of intermediate composition and widespread and moderate to intense quartz, sericite, ankerite-carbonate, and locally significant fuchsite alteration minerals in a large shear zone. Fuchsite (chromium bearing mica) is associated with major gold deposits in Canada and around the world. Pyrite, pyrrhotite (iron sulphide) and arsenopyrite mineralization also occurs.  In 2008, one line of soil sampling was completed approximately 1.5 kilometres northwest of the Art prospect, and two samples over a distance of 100 metres returned positive values of 12.5 and 282.7 ppb gold. These encouraging results may reflect an extension to one of the mineralized structures at the Art prospect to the south.

About the Art Prospect
The Art prospect was first discovered in 1997 where an intrusive rock and large scale and wide spread alteration and associated sulphide mineralization occurs. To date, surface rock samples have returned positive values up to 1.27 g/t gold, and drilling in 2001 returned 12.0 metres containing 0.167 g/t gold and 0.35% arsenic.

The Company feels the DL prospect holds excellent potential for gold deposits that are very similar to the Spanish Mountain and Frasergold properties to the north and the Spanish Creek property immediately to the south. The Art prospect has also returned positive gold values and planning for further exploration in 2009 is underway.

David Blann, P.Eng. is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the preparation and approval of the technical information disclosed in the news release.
 
On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"David E Blann"
____________________

David E Blann, P.Eng.
President