500 E. Capitol Ave.

Pierre, S.D. 57501

(605) 773-3212

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 8, 2010

CONTACT: Joe Kafka or Roxy Everson, 605-773-3212

 

PIERRE, S.D. – People who use recreational trails in South Dakota will soon have some new and some improved places to enjoy their leisure time, both on foot and by motorized travel.

 

Gov. Mike Rounds has approved nearly $1 million in Recreational Trails Program funding for several communities, state parks and recreation areas, and the Black Hills National Forest.

“I congratulate these project sponsors for showing a strong commitment to trail systems,” the Governor said. “These trail projects will make South Dakota an even better place for today’s residents to live, work and play, and they will also benefit future generations.”

 

The Federal Highway Administration funds the Recreational Trails Program, and it is administered in South Dakota by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks.

 

Randy Kittle, grants coordinator in the GFP Division of Parks and Recreation, said the initiative provides up to 80 percent reimbursement for trail-related development and maintenance projects.

 

Trails receiving the funding are dedicated for such things as hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, horseback rides, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling and all-terrain vehicle use, Kittle said.

 

Gov. Rounds has awarded the following grants for trail construction and upgrades: Aberdeen ($60,000); Custer ($40,000); and Rapid City ($200,000).

 

Receiving grants for trail improvements: Custer State Park ($64,000); George S. Mickelson Trail ($110,000);  Palisades State Park ($9,600); and Pelican Lake Recreation Area ($11,200).

 

Motorized trail projects awarded grants: U.S. Forest Service Black Hills National Forest for its Off-Highway Vehicle Trail System ($358,840); Black Hills Snowmobile Trail system for the purchase of trail-grooming equipment ($75,000); and Roughlock Falls Nature Area for a concrete vault toilet ($7,200).

 

Revenue for the Recreational Trails Program comes from the Federal Highway Trust Fund and represents a portion of the motor fuel excise tax collected from non-highway recreational fuel use and from the tax on fuel used for off-highway recreation by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles, and off-road light trucks.

 

For more information on the program, contact Randy Kittle by phone at 605-773-5490, or e-mail randy.kittle@state.sd.us .

 

 

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