Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will grant approximately $403,556 in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Program funding to local public outdoor recreation projects this spring.Project applications, due June 30, may include facilities such as ball fields, campgrounds, golf courses, ice skating ponds, picnic facilities, tennis courts, playground equipment, and walking trails.

"Applications for this funding will be reviewed and rated by a selection committee using a standard set of criteria and those ranking highest will be awarded the funding," said Walt Timmerman, Resource Program Manager for FWP's Montana State Parks division which administers the program. Cities, counties and school districts will receive a mailing with the program details soon.

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Program (LWCF), established in 1965, encourages a partnership between national, state and local governments in planning and funding outdoor recreation."Since 1965, Montana has received over $31 million for outdoor recreation projects," Timmerman said."The maximum grant per project is $75,000 and this grant may provide up to 50 percent of a local project's costs."A project sponsor must have its share of the total project costs committed at the time the application is submitted.

A sponsor may use, as its share of project costs, agency work force account, cash, and in some cases, land. Volunteer services and donated material, though encouraged, cannot be used to match the grant.Other requirements are:

• Project sponsors must be a city, county, school district or similar official state entity or sovereign Indian Nation within Montana.
• The sponsor must have effective land control.
• In the case of development projects, a sponsor must have control of the land, preferably by title.
• The sponsor must have adequate resources to operate and maintain the area after the project is complete.The LWCF has no funds available for routine operation and maintenance.
• The area within the project boundary must be maintained for public outdoor recreation in perpetuity.
• Applicants must include the results of a recent outdoor recreation survey, available at the web site address below.

For further information, contact Walt Timmerman, Resource Program Manager for Montana State Parks at 406-444-3753.Interested potential sponsors may also want to check the LWCF web page on the FWP web site at fwp.state.mt.us/parks/parks.htm for applications and other information.