AUGUSTA – Local snowmobile clubs are reminded that the deadline for applying for the Snowmobile Club Grant Program and the Capital Equipment Grant Program is fast approaching.
Applications for both grants are due no later than Dec. 31, 2008.
The grants are run by the Off Road Vehicle Division, Bureau of Parks & Lands, under the Maine Department of Conservation. The club grant provides funds for snowmobile trails maintenance, while the equipment grant provides funds to offset the cost of expensive trail grooming equipment.
Funds for the grants are provided through snowmobile registrations, handled by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Eligible clubs are funded according to the number of trail miles maintained, with a cap of 30 miles.
This year, eligible clubs will receive more funding per mile because of an increase in the cost of snowmobile registration. The increased trail funding is from $110 to $125 per mile for up to 30 miles of trail. The increased registration free was requested by the Maine Snowmobile Association and approved by the state Legislature, specifically for the grant program.
It is the first increase in the grant awards seen in four years. The funding will go toward maintaining about 8,443 miles of club trails.
The equipment grant reimburses a percentage of the cost of trail grooming equipment and varies from year to year. Equipment must cost a minimum of $3,000 per unit and be for the purpose of winter grooming of trails.
For more information about the grants, call the Snowmobile Program, Off Road Vehicle Division at: 287-4957 or 1-800-462-1019
Or email: Shannon.d.morin@maine.gov
For more information, go to:
http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/snowmobile/clubgrant.html
