Federal funds made available for Sanders County

SANDERS COUNTY- Local parks and outdoor recreation facilities may receive a shot in the arm earlier this week following an announcement by Gov. Steve Bullock.

On Tuesday, July 8, Gov. Bullock announced the state of Montana had been awarded over $409,000 for outdoor recreation and conservation projects, for communities all over the state.

The large financial grant came courtesy of the federal government, specifically through the Department of the Interior. DOI funds for the grant come from the long standing Land & Water Conservation Fund.

According to Tom Reilly, assistant administrator for Montana State Parks, the nationwide program started back in 1964, with allotted funds having a positive impact throughout the state of Montana.

Reilly said there is a grant process, which interested communities apply for various outdoor recreation projects.

He went on to list swimming pools, playground equipment, skate parks and splash parks as popular venues for these funds.  

“It benefits a community to have nice recreational facilities,” Reilly said.

The money is out there for these projects and any local groups or organizations who are looking to receive aid in their efforts to promote outdoor recreation can receive a substantial boost from this popular federal program.

In past years money from LWCF grants have gone towards the pools of Plains and Thompson Falls.

Ruenauver Park in Plains also received funds from the DOI program in the early years of the LWCF.

Additionally, the multipurpose court in Trout Creek and the golf course of Thompson Falls was also privy to funds from the long-standing program.

According to the state of Montana, LWCF funds have proved to have a significant impact over the course of the program’s existence. Studies have found that for every $1 invested in land acquisition a $4 return on the initial investment is generated for participating communities.

“There are not a lot of communities in Montana that have not benefited from this program over the past,” Reilly said.

Reilly added the funds come from lease revenues for offshore oil and gas drilling with each state of the nation receiving earmarked funds through the Land & Water Conservation Fund.

The program’s primary source of revenue comes from gas and oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf.

The state parks administrator said the grant program was responsible for funding 800 projects in the state of Montana since the federal government started the fund in the mid-1960s.

Established by Congress under the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the funding program was put in place to ensure citizens were able to access outdoor recreation resources for years into the future.

“It’s a great program for communities all across Montana,” Reilly said.

The LWCF program provides matching grants to states and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities.

The fund also provides funding for shared federal land acquisition and ongoing conservation strategies.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior the program is intended to create and maintain a nationwide legacy of high quality recreation areas and to stimulate investment in the protection and maintenance of the aforementioned outdoor areas.

The federal funds enable state and local governments to establish everything from baseball fields to community green spaces.

The funds are also used to provide public access to rivers, lakes and reservoirs around the state.

The LWCF program aims to expand the interpretation of historic and cultural areas and to conserve precious natural landscapes for future generations.