North Dakota awards funding for 5 new trail and outdoor recreation projects

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Jun. 8—BISMARCK — Five North Dakota projects have been selected to share about $1 million in funding administered through the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department's Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Funds for the program are awarded through the Federal Highway Administration, and an RTP Advisory Committee ranked and selected the five projects.
The Parks and Recreation Department received 20 applications totaling $3.9 million in project fund grant requests — the largest amount ever requested in the program's history — during this funding cycle, the department said in a news release.
"We've seen a remarkable shift in how communities understand and embrace the Recreational Trails Program," Char Langehaug, grants coordinator for the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, said in a statement. "This year brought the largest funding requests in the program's history — a clear sign that more people recognize how these grants can breathe new life into communities and transform outdoor spaces. We're deeply grateful to the RTP advisory committee for their thoughtful evaluation of so many impactful projects."
Selected projects and the amount of funding requested were as follows:
* City of Flasher, historical and recreational trails project, $219,070.
* Watford City Park District, multi-use trail, $235,008.
* Lincoln Park District, 66th Street South Pathway, $103,845.60.
* Snowmobile North Dakota, statewide trail grooming equipment, $250,000.
* North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, Little Missouri State Park trail improvements, $249,072.
While the Parks and Recreation Department expects each project to receive full funding as requested, final award amounts cannot be confirmed until the full appropriation is received in March 2026.
The next round of applications is tentatively scheduled to open in April 2026. The applications will be administered through the online platform, Web Grants.
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is an 80/20 matching grant program that provides funding for both motorized and non-motorized recreational trail projects. Examples of eligible projects include construction of new recreation trails, restoration of existing trails, development and rehabilitation of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages, purchase and lease of recreational trail construction and maintenance equipment, land acquisition/easements, trail accessibility assessment.
* More info:
parkrec.nd.gov/business/grants/recreational-trails-program
Char Langehaug, grants coordinator, [phone].