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Typical Projects
- Building, renovating, and rerouting trails
- Maintaining trails and associated campgrounds and trailheads
- Operating off-road vehicle parks
- Educating trail users
Who May Apply?
- Local agencies
- Special purpose districts, such as park districts and port districts
- Native American tribes
- State agencies
- Federal agencies
- Nonprofit off-road vehicle organizations
Special purpose districts are port, public utility, or park and recreation districts or other political subdivisions of the state that provide services to less than the entire state. The special purpose district legally must be authorized to acquire and develop public open space, habitat, farmlands, riparian habitat, or recreation facilities.
Planning Requirement
To apply for this funding, grant applicants must have completed a comprehensive recreation or conservation plan. See details on the planning page and in Manual 2: Planning Guidelines. Maintenance and operations projects do not need a plan.
Funding
Funding is awarded every other year and comes from a portion of the state gasoline tax and off-road vehicle use permits.
Grant Limits
| Category | Maintenance and Operation | Land Acquisition, Development, Planning |
| Nonhighway Road | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Nonmotorized | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Off-road Vehicle | $250,000 | No limit |
Match Details
Match is not required but additional points are awarded during evaluation for projects with match contributions. Examples of match include the following:
- Appropriations or cash
- Bonds
- Donations of cash, land, labor, equipment, and materials
- Federal, state, local, and private grants
- Applicant’s labor, equipment, and materials
Eligible Projects
Planning
- Comprehensive plans, construction drawings, environmental assessments, feasibility and preconstruction studies, route surveys and reconnaissance, and site master plans
- Land acquisition: Purchase in fee title, or lesser interests such as leases and easements. Leases must be for at least twenty-five years. Grants may not be used for land acquisition by federal agencies.
Development
- Employee residences for employees directly involved in the operation and maintenance of a NOVA-assisted project. For details, see the grant manual.
- Extensive reconstruction when facilities are obsolete or usefulness or safety is impaired (although not because of inadequate maintenance)
- Nonmotorized boating access facilities
- Off-road vehicle sports parks including motocross tracks, sand drag strips, four-wheel drive competitive and play facilities, spectator facilities, concession buildings, and park administration and maintenance facilities
- Parking, trails, and trailheads
- Picnic and camping areas
- Route and interpretive signs and informational bulletin boards
- Sanitary facilities including sewer systems and other related utilities
- Utilities, including water, electric, and telephone service
- Wildlife viewing facilities
Maintenance and operation of trails may include any kind of trailside, trailhead, or trail maintenance, operation, restoration, rehabilitation, or relocation. “Rehabilitation” means extensive repair needed to bring a facility up to standards suitable for public use. “Operation” means non-capital costs such as cleaning restrooms, garbage service, septic service, etc.
Ineligible Projects
Acquisition Projects
- Land already owned by the applicant
- Land to be used for any activity not eligible for NOVA development funding
- Lands with revenue producing potential where the cost of acquisition could be financed completely through revenue accruing to the project
- Property interests for a period of less than twenty-five years
Development Projects
- Areas primarily for commercial, semi-professional, or professional activities
- Commercial facilities such as go-cart tracks and amusement facilities, even when these elements are part of a larger off-road vehicle project
- On land to be acquired on a conditional sales contract unless the applicant holds the deed to the property
- On land acquired with conflicting reversionary clauses within the deeds, or with clauses that significantly affect public recreation use of the property
- On land where there is expected to be future unacceptable or immitigable impacts to the NOVA project as part of an ongoing land management program by the project applicant
Maintenance Projects
- Maintenance of facilities not open and available to NOVA program activities
- Work on snowmobile trails
Planning Projects
- Plans for private facilities, except non-public administrative areas such as employee residences, garages, workshops, etc.
- Projects containing cost elements designed to produce planning information on items ineligible for NOVA acquisition or development funding
- Plans unlikely to lead to future NOVA facilities that meet Recreation and Conservation Funding Board funding eligibility criteria
Long-term Commitment
In most cases, any land purchased must be kept for recreation purposes forever. Leases must be for at least twenty-five years.