Minnesota Trail Riders Association received the good news that we have been selected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to receive funding in the form of a reimbursement grant in the amount of $34,500. The $34,500 combined with MTRA’s contribution of $11,500 will allow MTRA to spend $46,000 on trail and campground improvements and maintenance in 2020.

     MTRA’s process for receiving the grant begins each year in January when over 100 surveys are sent to DNR, county, city and Federal trails, forests, parks in Minnesota that have equestrian trails. The application for the grant is due February 28 each year. Then we wait to hear if we are recommended by the DNR for a reimbursement grant. The DNR has recommended our reimbursement grant again this year. In the past, the Federal Highway Administration has concurred with the Mn DNR. At this time, we also received 7 pages of paperwork that must be completed by Feb. 1, 2020 and the reminder that this is a conditional offer subject to final approval by the FHWA and  the completion of the required documentation.  It is usually the following spring/early summer before all the paperwork is in place including a contract and an income agreement with the State.  Only after MTRA receives a contract and income agreement can we notify recipients (chosen by the MTRA Board in March after reviewing the surveys) that they can begin their projects.  The recipients then have until June 30, 2022 to complete their projects.
Trails and campgrounds add to our quality of life in Minnesota. MTRA would like to thank all of you who support equestrian outdoor recreation through paying dues, making donations, and volunteering in equestrian camps and on trails.