Yamaha Awards GRANT to the Oregon Department of Forestry

$12,289 to Oregon Department of Forestry Tillamook District

PHOTO: Oregon Department of Forestry

(Tillamook, Ore.) - Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is pleased to announce it has received a Yamaha OHV Access Initiative GRANT of $12,289. This grant provided the cornerstone matching funds necessary to obtain Oregon All Terrain Vehicle and Recreational Trails Program grants funding a total project cost of $164,754. The GRANT (Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation's Trails) was awarded as part of the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative promoting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas.

The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative GRANT will fund a significant portion of the 534 worker hours of contract trail equipment operator time that will be purchased to maintain OHV trails in the Tillamook State Forest during 2011. Importantly, these funds provided the match for a $30,000 Oregon ATV Grant. When aggregated, the Yamaha grant, Oregon ATV grant and Oregon Department of Forestry contributions provided enough match to obtain a Recreational Trails Program grant for trail equipment and labor to fund the entire project.

"Yamaha recognized the need for OHV trail improvements in the Tillamook State Forest and provided the necessary seed money to start the wheels turning on this project," said Dave Hiatt, OHV recreation specialist in ODF's Tillamook District. "The complete public-private $164,754 project required someone to go first and thankfully, Yamaha did that."

Many miles of existing motorized trails in the Tillamook State Forest are not accessible to ODF's current trail construction/maintenance equipment due to their narrow width and the steep terrain. A new Single Track 240 machine (additional information at http://singletracktools.com/) purchased as part of this entire grant package provides the machinery to perform the excavator and dozing functions necessary to maintain these trails to contemporary standards.

"The Tillamook District project directly aligns with our goal to support efforts to establish and restore safe and sustainable access for OHV recreation," said Steve Nessl, marketing manager for Yamaha's ATV and SxS division. "We applaud the diligence of Oregon's Department of Forestry in working to make the most out of this opportunity and look forward to seeing these resources put to good use for the OHV community."

For more information about Yamaha's OHV Access Initiative, go to: www.yamaha-motor.com/ohvaccess

The Oregon Department of Forestry manages the 364,000-acre Tillamook State Forest. Additional information about forest management in Oregon is available on ODF's web site, www.oregon.gov/ODF