Aid_Content Page_Motorized Stewardship Grants

Motorized Stewardship Grants

The Motorized Stewardship Grant Program is closed to new applicants on July 1, 2021.

ATV/UTV grants are available to counties, towns, cities, villages and tribes to apply for funds to acquire, insure, develop and maintain ATV/UTV trails, areas and routes.

Snowmobile trail grants are available to counties and tribes to apply for funding to provide a statewide system of well-signed and well-groomed snowmobile trails for public use and enjoyment.

Eligibility

20% Local match required

Stewardship funds require 20% local match. That means no state or federal grant funds are eligible for a match. Force account (county, city, town or village) labor, equipment and materials are eligible as a match, as well as volunteer labor and club donations.

ATV/UTV grants

Counties, towns, cities, villages and tribes can apply for these grants.

Snowmobile grants

Counties and tribes are the only eligible sponsors for snowmobile projects.

Eligible projects (by priority rank)
  • Major bridge reconstruction/rehabilitation
  • Rehabilitation of funded trails - For the benefit of motorized recreational use
  • Development - New bridges on existing funded trails
  • Maps (ATV/UTV only)
  • Acquisition of land in fee/Support facilities
    • If you plan to request a grant for fee simple land acquisition, contact the grant manager for special instructions.
Ineligible projects
  • Maintenance on existing approved trails
  • Club signing program
  • Route signing program
  • Development of new trails (maintenance is ineligible under Motorized Stewardship)
  • Any project on a shared trail that does not primarily benefit motorized recreational use.

Requirements

Applications are due to your Community Service Specialist in the regional offices by April 15 annually. They may be delivered or postmarked by that date.

Minimum useful life requirement

Because Stewardship funds are financed exclusively from proceeds of the sale of tax-free bonds, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service watches the use of these revenues closely. Inappropriate use of bond revenue could harm the State of Wisconsin’s bond rating. In addition, a group called the Bond Counsel advises all Wisconsin state agencies about the appropriate use of bond revenue.

  • The Bond Counsel has opined that bond revenue shall primarily be used for recreational or conservation practices with “useful life” of at least five years. Specific useful life requirements:
    • 5 years - trail rehabilitation
    • 10 years - bridges
    • 20 years - capital improvements (support facilities such as: warming house, restrooms, trailhead, etc.)
    • Perpetual - land acquisition
  • So that Motorized Stewardship funds abide by Bond Counsel guidance, written agreements that allow the placement of ATV/Snowmobile trails on private land for a minimum of 5 years duration must be obtained. We realize that these written agreements have not been required for Snowmobile trails grants in the past; however, this is the first time that Stewardship Program funds may be used on ATV and Snowmobile grant projects.
    These agreements are due within 30 days of the grant offer date.

Funding guidance

  1. Traditional 100% match snowmobile, ATV/UTV awards will be made before Motorized Stewardship funding is considered.
  2. The department will follow the existing administrative rules s. NR 50 and ch. NR 64, Wis. Adm. Code which apply to the new Motorized Stewardship grants.
  3. This funding requires sponsors to be responsible for a 20% match. Force account (county, city, town or village) labor, equipment, materials and donations of labor, equipment or materials are eligible as match.
  4. If you plan to request a grant for fee simple land acquisition, contact the grant manager for special instructions.

Applying

Motorized Stewardship Application

Applications may combine more than one source of funds. They may be submitted for consideration of both traditional ATV or Snowmobile funding AND Motorized Stewardship funding. However, in order for your application to be considered for traditional (100% match) funding first, separate applications must be submitted for each funding source.

Use the standard outdoor Motorized Recreation Trail Aids Application (form 8700-159) to apply for these funds.

Note: If you plan to request a grant for fee simple land acquisition, contact the grant manager for special instructions.

ATV/UTV
Snowmobile

Reimbursement

Reimbursement materials

Reimbursement will be 80% of total project cost, but will not exceed the grant amount.

Resources

Minimum useful life - written agreement requirements

  • The agreement must contain language specifying the length of the agreement (in years)
  • An agreement is not needed if the landowner is the Federal government, State government, or county government
  • Agreements must be submitted to the DNR along with the signed grant agreement
  • Minimum requirements
    • 5 years - trail rehabilitation
    • 10 years - bridges
    • 20 years - capital improvements (warming house, restrooms, etc.)
    • Perpetual - land acquisition
      • If you plan to request a grant for fee simple land acquisition, contact the grant manager for special instructions.
  • Sample Written Agreement [MS-Word]

Detailed grant pages

Other resources

Laws

Grant related statutes and administrative codes

Contact

Contact information
For questions about Snowmobile and ATV/UTV Trail Aids, contact:
Jillian Steffes, grant manager
Department of Natural Resources
107 Sufliff Avenue
Rhinelander, WI 54501
715-210-4911
Regional Community Services Specialists:
Your regional DNR grant project manager