grants
Showing posts with label grants. Show all posts

Gov. Haslam Awards Over $1.6 Million in Parks and Recreation Grants

Friday, August 16, 2013

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced yesterday that they have awarded $1,694,000 in Recreational Trails Program grants to recipients across Tennessee.

“These grants assist local governments and organizations in improving community amenities such as trails, greenways and recreational facilities, making the outdoors more accessible to Tennesseans.” Haslam said. “The health and wellness of our residents is a top priority and these amenities provide another step to make our state healthier.”

The Recreational Trails Program is a federally-funded program established to distribute funding for diverse recreation trail projects. The funds are available to federal, state and local government agencies, as well as non-profit organizations that have obtained IRS 501 (c) (3) status and have a written trail management agreement with the agency that owns the property where the trail project is located.

Recreational Trails Program grants may be used for non-routine maintenance and restoration of existing trails, development and rehabilitation, trailside or trailhead facilities such as restrooms, kiosks and parking lots, construction of new trails and land acquisition for recreational trails or corridors.

“These awards will help fund some outstanding projects, including the development of new greenways and trails and more ADA-compliant facilities,” Martineau said. “We are excited to be in a position to make a variety of recreational opportunities a reality for these communities.”

Funding for RTP grants is provided by the Federal Highway Administration through the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation administers this grant program for the state. The maximum federal share for each project is 80%, with RTP grant recipients providing a 20% match.

Grant recipients were selected through a scoring process with careful consideration given to the projects that met the selection criteria and expressed the greatest local recreation need.

To see a list of the trail projects that will be receiving grants, please click here. To learn more about the RTP grant program and other recreation or conservation-based grant programs available in the future, please click here.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies
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Gov. Haslam Awards $565,000 in Parks and Recreation Grants

Saturday, March 10, 2012

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau awarded $565,000 in Recreational Trails Program grants to recipients across Tennessee this week.

The Recreational Trails Program is a federally-funded program established to distribute funding for motorized, non-motorized and diverse recreation trail projects. The funds are available to federal, state and local government agencies, as well as non-profit organizations.

Recreational Trails Program grants may be used for non-routine maintenance and restoration of existing trails, development and rehabilitation, trailside or trailhead facilities such as restrooms, kiosks and parking lots, construction of new trails and land acquisition for recreational trails or corridors.

Funding for RTP grants is provided by the Federal Highway Administration through the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation administers this grant program for the state. The maximum federal share for each project is 80 percent, with RTP grant recipients providing a 20 percent match.

Grant recipients were selected through a scoring process with careful consideration given to the projects that met the selection criteria and expressed the greatest local recreation need. You can view details for the seven grant recipients by clicking here.






Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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ATC awards $25,000 in grants towards AT projects

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s specialty license-plate program in North Carolina is distributing $25,000 in 2010 grants to nine organizations for their work on projects to benefit the Appalachian Trail.

Projects to enhance the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) experience this year include treadway improvement; maintenance of the popular Overmountain Shelter, commonly called “the big red barn”; and the inventory and control of exotic-invasive plant species along several miles of the footpath.

The grants are also supporting newer programs of the Conservancy and its partner organizations for work in Trailside communities and schools. The Nantahala Hiking Club and Franklin Main Street program received support for their involvement related to Franklin’s Appalachian Trail Community designation, the town’s April Fools Hiker Bash, and other A.T.-focused community events.

Three grants related to youth and schools were also awarded. The Carolina Mountain Club received assistance for an effort to increase youth engagement in the club. Summit Charter School of Cashiers, N.C., received funds to enhance and interpret a trail on school grounds that serves as an outdoor classroom. Jennifer Pharr Davis’ Blue Ridge Hiking Company will provide assistance to eight schools implementing curricula related to the Conservancy’s Trail to Every Classroom program. That program uses the A.T. as a learning tool for placed-based education and includes a component of service learning for teachers, all intended to increase awareness of the Trail and encourage youth to become stewards of it.

Two groups received funding to study birds along the A.T. The Southern Appalachian Raptor Research will initiate a bird education program and monitor the Northern Saw-whet owl population, habitat, and breeding at Big Bald, near Wolf Laurel, N.C. Mountains-to-Sea Ecological will provide a baseline survey of rare and common breeding birds at a number of high-elevation sites along the Trail in the state. Defining bird populations along the Appalachian Trail as part of ATC’s citizen-scientist-based environmental-monitoring program will help determine what species are at risk, the factors that influence bird species' distribution and population numbers, how severely population numbers are changing, and how the birds will fare in the face of climate change or other stressors. With that information, land managers and policymakers will be better able to protect the birds’ habitat to ensure their continued survival.

Vehicle owners who support the Conservancy’s work through their Appalachian Trail license-plate purchases make the grant program and associated projects possible. Please click here for more information.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
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AT license plates fund mini trail grants

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy will once again be awarding mini-grants for projects in the region that will benefit the long-distance hiking trail.

This year the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will give out $25,000 in grants, not to exceed $5,000 per grant. The grants are funded through proceeds from the specialty AT license plates, which raised $116,000 last year for the AT Conservancy.

Grants can include trail work, conservation projects and trail promotion and education. Past projects have included:

• Smoky Mountains Hiking Club’s purchase materials to build mouldering privy at Cable Gap Shelter.

• Smoky Mountains Hiking Club’s purchase materials to build mouldering privy at Sassafras Gap Shelter.

• Efforts by the Nantahala Hiking Club to help the town of Franklin become an official “Trail Town.”

• Eforts to keep the bald on Roan Mountain from growing up, including a roving goat herd.

• Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club’s provision of food to volunteers participating in two-day volunteer Hard Core crew, working in N.C. to rehabilitate and relocate the Trail.

• Bear cables at backcountry trail shelters.

• Controlling invasive, exotic plant species.

For more information on the grants, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
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