State Grants Means New Off-Highway Vehicle for Law Enforcement

The BLM also will receive a $49,000 planning grant to continue an inventory of Medford District roads and off-highway trails.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the world use ATV's to reach people in off road locations. Photo courtesy: richmondhill.ca

(SALEM, Ore.) - Sheriff's offices in 11 Oregon counties will receive state All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Program grants from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to help pay for law enforcement in off-highway vehicle riding areas.

Almost three-quarters of $1.3 million in grants approved recently by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission will help pay sheriff's patrol and other enforcement costs in Baker, Union, Morrow, Wasco, Hood River, Tillamook, Deschutes, Yamhill, Douglas, Coos and Lane counties. The awards range from $19,104 for Wasco County patrols to $179,300 for Coos County sheriff's expenses in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

Another $250,224 will support law enforcement activities by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. BLM also will receive a $49,000 planning grant to continue an inventory of Medford District roads and off-highway trails.

OPRD permit sales and a percentage of state gas tax revenue fund the ATV grants, which are reviewed and ranked for dispersal by OPRD's All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Account Allocation Committee subject to Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission approval. Recipients must match at least 20 percent of project costs.

OPRD has awarded $7.84 million since July 1st, 2007 for riding area land acquisitions, law enforcement and emergency medical services, riding area operations and maintenance, area development, planning, and safety education.

For specific information on the grants, visit: 2008 All Terrain Vehicle Grants