 |
|
$108,400 in New Funds Announced
With the recent awarding of more than $100,000 in new T.R.A.I.L.S. grants, Polaris has awarded more than $700,000 to local, state and national ATV organizations in the T.R.A.I.L.S. program’s two-year history.
Clubs, associations and agencies on the receiving end of the latest round of T.R.A.I.L.S. grants are located in Alabama, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wisconsin, Maine, New Jersey, New York, South Dakotas and Oklahoma.
That diversity of locales reflects the far-reaching impact of the two-year-old T.R.A.I.L.S. program. The program has helped fund the building and development of trails, riding access programs, safety training, signage and other projects that have helped enrich the riding experience for ATV enthusiasts from coast to coast.
In its two-plus years, the Polaris T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program has granted $700,057 in funds to 78 local, state and National ATV groups in 42 states across the U.S.
The T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program
The first of its kind in the ATV industry, the T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program was launched in January 2006 to allow Polaris to provide support to ATV clubs, associations and grassroots groups. ATV riders and the trails they use are the lifeblood of the sport and Polaris aimed to create a program to help.
The T.R.A.I.L.S. program makes funds available to not-for-profit national, state and local organizations in the United States to ensure the future of legal ATV riding.
T.R.A.I.L.S. stands for:
T = Trail Development
R = Responsible Riding
A = Access
I = Initiatives
L = Lobbying
S = Safety
The grant program encompasses two main objectives – promoting safe and responsible riding, and preserving access. Funds can be used by organizations for trail development and maintenance projects, safety and education initiatives, lobbying and other projects to increase and maintain land access.
“The consistently growing interest in this program is evidence enough of the dire need to secure legal riding places in the United States,” said Mike Dougherty, Vice President of the Polaris ATV Division. “We are committed to the ongoing success of our program and hope riders at every level will have a more positive riding experience, be it locally, statewide or nationally because of our efforts.”
The most-recent grants ranged from $8,500 to the maximum $10,000 and will be applied toward: trail development, expansion, improvements, reconstruction and connections; an off-road adventure park; an ATV safety training school and DVD; national forest trail mapping; and lobbying efforts to re-open state forests for off-road vehicle use.
The fifth round of T.R.A.I.L.S. grant recipients are:
Local Organizations
• North Alabama Trail Riders Association (Alabama)
• Harlan County Ridge Runners ATV Club Inc. (Kentucky)
• Gila Rough Riders (New Mexico)
• Gold Country ATV Association (Nevada)
• Cedar Mountain Sledders & OHV Club (Utah)
• Florence County ATV Club Inc. (Wisconsin)
State Organizations
• ATV Maine
• New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Association
• New York Specialty Off Road Vehicle Association
• South Dakota Off Highway Vehicle Coalition
National Organizations
• USDA Forest Service, Cibola National Forest, Black Kettle District (Oklahoma)
For Information & To Apply
For more information on the T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program and an application form, visit the Polaris website and click on “Riders,” then select “Right to Ride.”
Here is a direct link to a T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Application.
Grant applications are reviewed twice a year, in March and September, with corresponding submission deadlines of March 1 and September 1. Organizations must have 501c3, 501c7 or non-profit organization status. Project funding, or matching funding, from other sources is an important criteria to be considered for a T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant.
Already a Rich History
ATV riders across the country have enjoyed the benefits of the T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program. Among the groups that have received grants over the past two-plus years are:
Grass-Roots Grant Recipient Groups
• North Alabama Trail Riders Association
• Cheaha Trail Riders (Alabama)
• Moto-Trax (Arizona)
• Thunder Mountain Wheelers ATV Club (Colorado)
• New England Trail Rider Association (Connecticut)
• Harlan County Ridge Runners ATV Club Inc. (Kentucky)
• Western Massachusetts ATV Association
• Topsham Trail Riders ATV/Snowmobile Club (Maine)
• Drummond Island Off-Road Club (Michigan)
• Manistee County ATV Association (Michigan)
• Ranger Snowmobile/ATV Club (Minnesota)
• City of Shakopee (Minnesota)
• Blind Lake ATV (Minnesota)
• Flat Rock Riders Club (Nebraska)
• Oswego County ATV Club Inc. (New York)
• Upstate ATV Association Inc. (New York)
• Snow Shoe Rails to Trails Association (Pennsylvania)
• Indian Creek Valley ATV Club Inc. (Pennsylvania)
• Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Foundation (Pennsylvania)
• Cle Elum Ranger District, Wenatchee National Forest (Washington)
• Tri-County Trailblazers ATV Club (Wisconsin)
• Dusty Trails ATV Club of Oconto County, Inc. (Wisconsin)
• Island Trails Network (Alaska)
• Little Sioux Explorers OHV Club (Iowa)
• North Idaho ATV Association (Idaho)
• Border Riders Sportsman Club (Maine)
• Fourtown-Grygla Sportsmans Club (Minnesota)
• Washington County Board of Supervisors (Mississippi)
• Down East River Club (North Carolina)
• Lewis County Trails Department (New York)
• Motorcycle Riders Association (Oregon)
• Arapeen Trail Council/Castle Country OHV (Utah)
• New England Trail Riders Association (Connecticut)
• Dickinson County Seniors & Lawmen Together (Iowa)
• Syracuse Sand Dune Park (Kansas)
• Hollis Freewheelers ATV Club (Maine)
• East Stream ATV Riders Club (Maine)
• Van Buren Pine Runners ATV Club (Maine)
• Millsfield ATV Club (New Hampshire)
State-Level Grant Recipient Organizations
• AZ Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition
• Friends of Florida State Forests, Inc.
• ATV Association of Minnesota (ATVAM)
• Nebraska Off Highway Vehicle Association
• North Carolina Motorcycle Dealers Association
• Ohio Multi-Use Trails Association
• Utah/Arizona ATV Club
• Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association Inc.
• Wisconsin ATV Association (WATVA/NOHVIS)
• Missouri Dirt Riders
• Motorized Recreation Council of Wyoming
• New Hampshire Off Highway Vehicle Association
• Ride Safe – Virginia
National Grant Recipient Groups
• Blue Ribbon Coalition
• Tread Lightly!
• NOHVCC (National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council)
• United Sportsmen’s Youth Foundation
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|