The Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation was one of four successful applicants in the Peace Region to receive funding through Western Economic Diversification’s Softwood Lumber Industry Community Economic Adjustment Initiative (SICEAI), intended to assist communities affected by lumber tariffs. The $327,000 project to equip the newly established Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre (PRPRC) has been awarded $163,650 from the SICEAI program.

The Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation (TRMF) submitted a Stage One application in June 2003 for equipment, scientific consulting fees and a field vehicle to further exploration, preparation, interpretation and display of dinosaur fossils found in the Tumbler Ridge area. After subsequent proposals were submitted in September and November, final approval came in the form of a letter from Minister Pagtakhan on March 12, 2004.

This project is intended to diversify Tumbler Ridge’s economy by promoting tourism, which increased more than 500% between 2001 and 2003, due in part to the public’s fascination with dinosaurs and fossils. The TRMF is responsible for the remaining $163,650 in project costs and is currently working to secure the funding through cash and in-kind contributions.

The SICEAI program is coordinated by Community Futures organizations across BC. The local branch, Community Futures Development Corporation of Peace-Liard (CFDC-PL) facilitated the process for the TRMF and will continue its involvement by implementing and monitoring the terms of the contract until its completion in March 2005.

TRMF President Carolyn Golightly says “Community Futures was excellent to work with; they certainly made the whole process easier for us. This is a big undertaking, a huge amount of money, and one that will have tremendous impact on Tumbler Ridge – in fact, the entire Peace region. We are so pleased that our project was chosen because it validates the importance of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

To learn more about dinosaur-related projects in Tumbler Ridge, log on to www.tumblerridgemuseum.com or call 242-DINO.

	Mayor and Council, district staff and Museum directors gather for the announcement of SICEAI funding in the amount of $163,650, to launch the Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre in Tumbler Ridge.
	Rich McCrea and Lisa Buckley describe some of the significant fossil specimens currently located in the Peace Region Palaeontology Centre. The PRPRC will serve as a centre for the storage, identification, preparation research and display of fossil material found in Tumbler Ridge and throughout the Peace Region.
	McCrea and Buckley treated Tumbler Ridge council and museum members to a tour of the PRPRC and explained the short and long-term plans for the facility.

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