Governor Awards Snowmobile Trail Grants

SPRINGFIELD - Governor George H. Ryan today awarded snowmobile trail grants totaling $169,200 to three local governments and eight private organizations to improve and maintain public snowmobile trails in Illinois.

"The projects assisted through these grants will provide greater access and enhance the safety of snowmobile riders by helping to build bridges and fence crossings, purchasing trail maintenance and safety equipment, and improving trail signs and markers," Gov. Ryan said.

Snowmobile trails throughout northern Illinois will benefit from the projects, including trails located in Carroll, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago counties.

Grants are funded 100 percent by snowmobilers through their registration fees. The cost to register a snowmobile is $18 for three years. There are about 54,000 registered snowmobiles in Illinois.

The grant program is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Applications may be obtained for the next round of grants by contacting the IDNR Division of Grant Administration, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL, 62702-1271, or by calling 217/782-7481, TDD 217/782-9175, Ameritech Relay 800/526-0844. Applications are accepted March 1-May 1.

This year's grant recipients are listed below.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Freeport Park District (Stephenson County), $31,900 to purchase a White tractor to groom the Jane Addams Trail, which is part of the Grand Illinois Trail, and other public snowmobile trails in the area. (Local contact: Steve Ehlbeck, 815/235-6114).

Vinegar Hill Township (Jo Daviess County), $11,600 to purchase a six-wheel drive all-terrain vehicle with rear tracks and a windshield and cab, a 5 ft. plow, and a snowmobile trail drag. This machine and drag will be used to groom 45 miles of snowmobile trails that link with the Jane Addams Trail and to snowmobile trails in Wisconsin. (Local contact: James Purdy, 563/583-9960).

Winnebago County Sheriff's Department, $15,100 to purchase two snowmobiles and a trailer in order to more effectively patrol more than 100 miles of public snowmobile trails throughout the county. (Local contact: Angela Wood-Zuzevich, 815/987-5920).

SNOWMOBILE CLUBS

I & M Trail Council, (LaSalle, Grundy and Will counties) $700 to purchase snowmobile trail signs and posts to better mark approximately 10 miles of public snowmobile trails that provide access to the 61 miles of the I&M Canal Trail. (Local contact: Bill Brown, 630/859-6218).

I & M Trail Blazers, (Grundy and Will counties) $3,500 to lease a John Deere tractor to pull a snowmobile trail groomer for use in maintaining 30 miles of snowmobile trails on the I&M Canal Trail. (Local contact: Franklin Baer, 815/436-3138).

Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs, (all northern Illinois counties) $40,000 to fund the annual liability insurance that is required on all public snowmobile trails maintained by private snowmobile clubs in Illinois. (Local contact: Mark Hazzard, 815/795-2021).

McHenry County Snowmobile Association, (McHenry County) $6,000 to lease a Caterpillar Challenger tractor to pull a snowmobile trail groomer drag in maintaining public snowmobile trails. This tractor, in addition to another Caterpillar Challenger and a Tucker Sno-Cat tractor that the association operate, will allow the association to better groom and maintain more than 250 miles of public snowmobile trails. (Local contact: Richard Arseneau, 815/675-1234).

McHenry County Snowmobile Association, (McHenry County) $10,700 to purchase snowmobile trail signs and wooden stakes for their county-wide trail system. (Local contact: Richard Arseneau, 815/675-1234).

Midway Sno-Busters, (Stephenson County), $2,400 to purchase and install six culverts in drainage ditches to reduce erosion and improve the public snowmobile trails maintained by the club. (Local contact: Ron Hutting, 815/239-2652).

Northeastern Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs, (Lake County) $1,900 to purchase and install snowmobile trail signs and 2,000 feet of snow fence to prevent snowmobilers from trespassing across adjacent residential property. (Local contact: Allan VanLanduyt, 847/514-7363).

Northwest Illinois Snowmobile Alliance, (Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll and Whiteside counties) $17,700 to purchase snowmobile trail signs, trail stakes, lumber and materials to construct new and improve existing snowmobile bridges and fence crossings. The Northwest Illinois Snowmobile Alliance maintains more than 800 miles of public snowmobile trails in the four-county area. (Local contact: Doug Brandt, 815/232-1842).

Tri-County Snowmobile Alliance, (Lee, Ogle and Winnebago counties) $13,500 to lease a Caterpillar Challenger tractor and to purchase a groomer drag to be used in maintaining approximately 60 miles of public snowmobile trails. (Local contact: Steve Hefel, 815/284-5356).

Tri-County Snowmobile Alliance, (Lee, Ogle and Winnebago counties) $14,200 to purchase snowmobile trail signs, posts, fence, lumber, hardware and rock to construct bridges across creeks and to improve public snowmobile trails that are maintained by the 13 local clubs that are members of the Tri-County Alliance. (Local contact: Steve Hefel, 815/284-5356).