Governor Ryan Awards Snowmobile Trail Grants

SPRINGFIELD ­­ Governor George H. Ryan today awarded snowmobile trail grants totaling $163,730 to three local governments and 10 private organizations to develop and maintain public snowmobile trails in Illinois.

"The grants will be used to extend existing snowmobile trails, purchase additional trail maintenance and grooming equipment, purchase safety equipment for trail rescue teams, and to upgrade bridges and signs along trails throughout northern Illinois," Ryan said.

The twelve counties that will benefit from the snowmobile trail improvements are Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Kane, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.

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, 524 South Second Street, Springfield, IL, 62701­1787, or by calling 217/782­7481, TDD 217/782­9175, Ameritech Relay 800/526­0844. Applications are accepted March 1­May 1.

This year's grant recipients are listed below.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Lake County Forest Preserve District, $8,000 to replace deteriorated tracks on a 1990 trail groomer for use in maintaining 25 miles of snowmobile trails. (Local contact: Bob Scherer, 847/968­3375).

McHenry County Sheriff's Department, $5,260 to replace six two­way radios used by sheriff's personnel in patrolling more than 200 miles of snowmobile trails in McHenry County. (Local contact: Richard Weinhandl, 815/334­4707).

Rockford Park District (Winnebago County), $73,400 to purchase a new trail groomer, medical supplies and rescue equipment for a four­county snowmobile rescue response team, and to establish and mark new segments of trails in Winnebago County. (Local Contact: Rick Strader, 815/987­8865).

SNOWMOBILE CLUBS

McHenry County Snowmobile Association, $5,000 to lease a tractor with rubber tracks to maintain over 300 miles of trails. (Local contact: Dick Arseneau, 815/675­1234).

Durand Ditch Riders Snowmobile Club, $3,800 to replace a deteriorating 40­foot bridge in Durand in Winnebago County. The bridge serves as a link for more than 500 miles of the northern Illinois snowmobile trails system. (Local Contact: Chuck Wright, 815/629­2895).

German Valley Sno­Riders, $5,000 to rent a crawler tractor to help maintain more than 84 miles of marked trails. (Local contact: Ken Conti, 815/966­2380).

Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs, $1,200 to lease global positioning system (GPS) equipment to more accurately locate statewide trails for mapping and rescue purposes. (Local contact: Greg Hodges, 815/965­7054).

Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs, $10,000 to fund the liability insurance required on all public snowmobile trails in Illinois. (Local Contact: Mark Hazzard, 815/966­8374),

Northeastern Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs, (Lake County), $350 to weld and reinforce a railing on a damaged bridge on the Des Plaines River in the Gurnee Woods Forest Preserve. (Local Contact: Donald Schaefer, 847/518­9800 extension 3656).

Northwest Illinois Snowmobile Alliance (Stephenson & Jo Daviess counties), $4,920 for the second year lease payment for a tractor and loader used on regional trail maintenance, and to prepare and maintain the Jane Addams trail in Stephenson County between Freeport and the Wisconsin state line. (Local Contact: Pat Hartman, 815/563­4390).

Northwest Illinois Snowmobile Alliance (Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll and Whiteside Counties), $21,600 to purchase trail signs and sign posts, along with materials for bridges and gates, on the snowmobile trails maintained by the alliance in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Whiteside counties. New segments of trails will be added and approximately 100 miles of trails will be improved. (Local contact: Pat Hartman, 815/563­4390).

Region 5 Illinois Association of Snowmobile Clubs (Boone, DeKalb, McHenry, and Kane Counties), $6,200 to upgrade and replace signs on 271 miles of trails in Boone, DeKalb, McHenry and Kane counties. (Local Contact: Merle Schultz, 815/568­6021).

Tri­County Snowmobile Alliance (Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties), $19,000 for signs, sign posts and materials to replace two snowmobile bridges and install rock to repair an eroding trail base. The alliance maintains more than 120 miles of trails in Lee, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties. (Local contact: Rod Daniels, 815/732­6690)