Recreational Trail Grants Awarded for 2006

The Division of Parks & Outdoor Recreation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2006 Recreational Trail Grant Awards. The Recreational Trail Program is a federal funded competitive and reimbursable matching grant process. Grants are available for development and maintenance of recreational trails and facilities, acquisition of trail rights-of-way, and development of safety and environmental protection education programs.

STATEWIDE:

ALASKA TRAILS, INC. was awarded $31,725 grant funds for the Alaska Trail Steward Training Program: Phase two, Advanced Modules. Now that volunteers are trained, phase II of the Alaska Trails Champion program will teach additional trail training to Leader Instructors and/or Module Instructors who will teach Trail Stewards advanced skill sets critical to more technical trail construction and maintenance.

ARCTIC:

ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - USFWS was awarded $20,000 in grant funds for the Dechanlee Trail Restoration. The Dechanlee Trail Restoration will provide safe and accessible recreation and subsistence for the community of Arctic Village and for tourists visiting the village. This project will restore four miles of a twenty-mile trail. The restoration will take place in the summer of 2006 through the work of a teenage youth crew from the village and a crew leader.

INTERIOR:

FAIRBANKS DOG PARK, INC. was awarded $42,300 in grant funds for the West Dog Park Loop Trail. This project will construct a new recreational trail connecting the Animal Shelter trail with the west boundary of the dog park area. This trail will allow North Star Borough residents and their dogs access from the Peger Road side, on the west, all the way through South Davis Park to Wilbur Street.

DIVISION OF PARKS & OUTDOOR RECREATION - Northern Area was awarded $14,902 in grant funds for the Stiles Creek Trail Re-route. This grant will fund a trail crew for two weeks cutting out and re-routing approximately 4 miles of the Stile Creek Trail. The National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program laid out the re-route during the summer of 2005. These re-routes will move the existing trail out of wet boggy lowlands up onto sustainable alignments using best trail management.

INTERIOR ALASKA LAND TRUST was awarded $50,000 in grant funds for the Chena Flats Greenbelt Project. The Interior Alaska Land Trust (IALT) will purchase three parcels located along the southern base of Chena Ridge within the North Star Borough. Trails existing on this property will connect to the Tanana Wayside river access as well as the future public multi-use trail system proposed as the Chena Flats Greenbelt Project.

FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH - Dept. of Parks & Recreation was awarded $50,000 in grant funds for the Tanana Lakes Nature Trail. This proposal will construct a trailhead parking area and the first leg of an extensive trail network in the Tanana Lakes Recreation Area. This section of trail will skirt the northern edge of the preserved habitat area and emerge at a point looking out on the wetland habitat. Three viewing platforms will be constructed along the length of the trail and an additional larger viewing platform at the end.

DIVISION OF PARKS & OUTDOOR RECREATION - Northern Area was awarded $23,406 in grant funds for the Compeau Sustainable Trail Construction. Grant funds will allow for State Park Ranger participation in the sustainable trail construction by a private contractor for the legislatively funded 13-miles Compeau Trail. The construction funds do not include state park staff time or equipment, which is essential to the success of this project to ensure that best management practices for sustainable trails are implemented.

SOUTHCENTRAL:

TRAPPER CREEK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION INC. was awarded $49,400 in grant funds for the Mile 120 Trail Repair Project. Grant funds will be used to repair and improve approximately one mile of existing all terrain vehicle trail that provides access to recreational property in Trapper Creek Glen Subdivision. Project work will include the construction of boardwalks across existing gravel areas where appropriate to eliminate muddy sections.

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH was awarded $7,805 in grant funds for the Hatcher Pass Multiple Purpose Trails. The entire project is to re-construct existing trails. Because of existing use environmental damage has been occurring. This project is to mitigate these impacts while at the same time provide for increased public access.

TWIN BEARS OUTDOOR EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, INC. (TBOEA) was awarded $15,800 in grant funds for the Twin Bears Trail Rehabilitation and Access Improvement. Grant funds will be used to purchase an all terrain vehicle, mower and materials to rehabilitate trails in and around Twin Bears Camp. This project will also, contract for the completion of a public access parking area near Chena Hot Springs Road.

HOMER SOIL & WATER CONSERCATION DISTRICT was awarded $15,925 in grant funds for the Trail Signage within the Ninilchik River and Deep Creek Watersheds. This project will construct approximately 25 signs indicating where legal trails within the Ninilchik and Deep Creek watersheds cross private property. Signs will be developed with the newly formed trails stakeholder group, including trail users, landowners and all land managers within these watersheds. Signage will indicate where the trails cross private property and ask users to be respectful of private property.

PENINSULA SLED DOG & RACING ASSOCIATION was awarded $4,998.75 for the Kenai Peninsula Sled Dog Winter Trail Grooming. Grant funds will be used to continue grooming and maintenance of 30 miles of winter trails for use by non-motorized winter users such as dog sledding, skijoring, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Grant funds will also be used to increase use by the general public though identification of trailheads and trailhead parking improvements that have been made. The Arctic Winter Games will also be using these trails for their events.

THE DIVISION OF PARKS & OUTDOOR RECREATION - Kodiak Area was awarded $26,900 for the Piedmont Point Trail Safety & Rehabilitation Project, Phase I. Grant funds will be used to harden and consolidate eroded and braided trail sections, replace broken safety fences along hazardous and eroding bluffs, improve drainage, purchase trail use monitoring equipment, install directional and interpretive signing along this heavily used park trail. The project will include a National Trails Day training event for local volunteers.

YOUTH RESTORATION CORPS was awarded $50,000 for the Resurrection Creek Trail Maintenance. This project will primarily focus on trail maintenance along the seven-mile stretch of Resurrection trail from the trailhead to caribou creek.

ALASKA TRIALS INC. was awarded $22,425 in grant funds for the Educational Signage & Kiosk Program in Far North Bicentennial Park. This project will construct and install 8 trailhead kiosks and 28 "you are here" signposts at trail intersections in Far North Bicentennial Park.

SOUTHEAST:

CITY & BOROUGH OF JUNEAU - Engineering Dept. was awarded $46,746 in grant funds for the Duck Creek Greenway Trail Phase I. This project will provide recreational and educational opportunities along the Nancy Street Wetland in a densely developed area of the Mendenhall Valley in Juneau. The community will benefit from safe, off-street connections between neighborhoods and accessible alternatives for exercise and enjoyment.

THE DIVISION OF PARKS &OUTDOOR RECREATION - Ketchikan Area was awarded $7,175 in grant funds for the Waterfall View Lake Link Project. The project proposes to improve the existing unimproved 300' path by adding gravel to 32" width between the waterfall viewing platform and junction on the Lunch Creek Trail. It will connect two trail systems creating a total length of 5.5 miles. Improvements will prevent further deterioration and resource degradation.

THE DIVISION OF PARKS & OUTDOOR RECREATION - Ketchikan Area was awarded $6,845 in grant fund for the Campground Link Trail Project. Grant funds will be used to upgrade an existing 280' narrow gravel trail that traverses between the campground area and the beach day use area to meet ADA trail standards for outdoor recreation trails. Upgrades include leveling the slope and grade, widening to 42" by adding hard-parked gravel.

THE CITY OF SKAGWAY was awarded $3,607.22 in grant funds for the City of Skagway Trails Signage Project. This project will purchase and install new signs on the City of Skagway's Trail System. There is a problem throughout the Skagway Trail System with the lack of adequate signage and these new signs will replace the existing ones, which are in very poor condition, or in some cases non-existent.

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