The New Pathways to Gold Society (NPTGS) has awarded a total of $12,500 to three projects that promote heritage tourism, First Nations reconciliation and Multiculturalism in the Gold Rush/Spirit Trails corridor. FraserFEST 2017 and the Gold Country Communities Society Geotour each received $5,000 while the Xatsull First Nation Save the Salmon Pow-wow was awarded $2,500 under the NPTGS Small Projects Funding Program.

NPTGS Co-chair Terry Raymond said the projects proposed by the three organizations met the Society’s criteria of increasing economic development and enriching the cultural fabric of the Gold Rush/Spirit Trails corridor from Hope to Barkerville.

“We were very impressed by the caliber of all three projects,” said Raymond. “And we know these three organizations have the track-record and capacity to deliver quality projects that will benefit the communities along the corridor.”

The three projects awarded funding are:

FraserFEST 2017 is a celebration of the Fraser River emphasizing environmental stewardship, First Nations reconciliation and sustainable development to attract people to B.C.’s largest, most iconic river. This year’s festivities included 12 community events staged at venues along the Fraser River, including Fraser Canyon communities like Xatsull, Williams Lake, Lillooet, Boston Bar, Yale and Hope.

The Xatsull First Nation Save the Salmon Pow-wow is a family-oriented celebration of the iconic fish that is woven into the heritage and culture of B.C. It honors the salmon, families and the environment. Festivities include host drum Four Stones, on-site camping, a Saturday night feast and more at this traditional celebration. It takes place September 15-17 at Xatsull Heritage Village.

Gold Country Communities Society Geotour builds on Canada’s first and largest geocaching program. Gold Country is adding eight geocaches to their existing inventory of 142 to bring their grand total to 150 in recognition of Canada’s sesquicentennial. The geotour was originally slated for the first week of September but due to the B.C. wild fire state of emergency has been postponed. It’s now scheduled to take place in Savona, Merritt and Lytton on May 11-13, 2018.

The NPTGS Small Projects Funding Program is designed to assist projects that match the Society’s goals of economic development through heritage tourism, First Nations reconciliation and Multiculturalism. A non-profit organization, NPTGS dedicates $25,000 per year to the program with a $5,000 cap for each project. The next deadline is September 15 for consideration at the Society’s October Board meeting. For details, please see the NPTGS Small Projects Funding Application Form in the Resources section of the Society’s website.