$2 million federal grant to benefit new state park in Pembina Gorge

Aug. 18—BISMARCK — The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department has received a $2 million grant through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to support the development of a new state park in the Pembina Gorge, the department announced Friday, Aug. 18. Development of North Dakota's 14th state park will include underground utilities, roads, an approximate 35-site campground, six full-service cabins, a comfort station and maintenance shop.

The award was among more than $2.5 million in grants awarded through the LWCF and about $1 million the state Parks and Recreation Department allocated the federal Recreational Trails Program for parks and trails projects across the state, the Parks and Recreation Department said in a news release.

The department received 15 applications totaling $2 million in project grant requests for RTP funds, which are allocated through the Federal Highway Administration.

Funded at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service, the Land and Water Conservation Fund provides grants for outdoor recreation projects such as ball fields, pools, campgrounds, playgrounds and land acquisitions for park development.

The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department administers both programs at the state level.

"We had competitive grant rounds this year but were able to fund a record number of applications," said Char Langehaug, grants coordinator for the state Parks and Recreation Department, in a news release.

In addition to the Pembina Gorge, projects selected for funding through the two federal programs are as follows:

* Hunter/Arthur JPA — Northern Cass Pass Amenities, $36,000.This project will enhance the three trailheads located on the multi-purpose pedestrian corridor by adding lighting for safety, informational kiosks and benches. Way finders and signage will be added along the entire six-mile trail. Interpretive signage will be constructed along the entire trail, utilizing the observation of the surrounding natural resources.

* City of Turtle-Lake — North Country Trail 4WD brush mowers, $34,980. The city of Turtle Lake proposed buying three Orec four-wheel drive riding brush mowers. This will enable volunteers to mow the North Country Trail efficiently.

* Grafton Parks and Recreation — Leistikow Park Community Trails, $67,973.24. Grafton Parks and Recreation plans to replace maintenance equipment for Leistikow Park Community Trails in Grafton. A Mattracks track kit, in addition to leasing a Tool Cat UW56, will allow staff to cross-country groom and maintain the trails year-round.

* Bismarck Parks and Recreation District — cross-country ski grooming equipment, $181,122.12. Bismarck Parks and Recreation District plans to purchase winter cross-country ski grooming equipment to allow for additional miles of trail to be maintained for two new sites in north Bismarck.

* North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, snowmobile trail grooming equipment, $250,000.00. The North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, in partnership with Snowmobile North Dakota, plans to procure a Tucker groomer, groomer implements and snowmobile trail signs to assist with the grooming and maintenance of the 2,800 miles of statewide trail. They also plan to procure additional snow trail grooming equipment for local cross-country ski trails within the state.

* Lincoln Park District — Moch Park Trail, $41,284.32. A new gravel trail will be constructed connecting both Dolan Drive and 28th Avenue Southeast the existing Moch Park dog park.

* Barnes County Park Board — North Country and Sheyenne River Water Trail amenities, $43,206.77. This project is for the replacement of a trailhead shelter along the North Country and Sheyenne River Water Trail within Clausen Springs Park.

* Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa — Sky Chief Park Trails Bridge Linkage, $171,658.78. The goal of this project is to provide more accessible trails at Sky Chief Park by linking the trails with newly constructed metal bridges and a floating dock.

* Fargo Park District — Orchard Glen Park Trail Extension, $237,875.20. Fargo Park District plans to extend 2 miles of the already existing Orchard Glen trail to include crushed gravel surfacing. Other goals of the project include signage and the placement of benches along the new portion of trail and the construction of a vault toilet and shelter facility.

* Morton County — Valerie Entzel Memorial Park trailside facilities, $35,929. This project will create safe access to an improved trailside facility on the Lewis and Clark trail (alongside state Highway 1806) near Valerie Entzel Memorial Park in Mandan. This project will provide a place for off highway parking. It will include a gravel road leading to a gravel lot to include handicapped parking, security lights, picnic shelter, picnic tables, trash receptacles and park benches.

* New Salem Park Board — New Salem multi-use path renovation, $20,000. This project will involve crack sealing and restoring 1.2 miles of the New Salem walking trail that features New Salem Sue.

* Williston Parks and Recreation — Little Muddy Trail (project alternate), $225,000. This project involves the repaving of approximately 3 miles of the Little Muddy Trail to make the trail more accessible.

Besides Pembina Gorge, other projects selected for funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund are as follows:

* Spirit Lake Tribe — Parks and Recreational support building, $288,875. This outdoor recreation support building will provide the Four Winds Community Lake Youth Sports organization with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-accessible bathroom facilities for usage at high school football games, track and field events, the summer youth baseball program and other outdoor recreation.

* Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa — Heritage Park, $236,750. This project will support the development of a restroom/shower house, playground, and campground for Heritage Park that is adjacent to the Heritage Center off U.S. Highway 281 in Belcourt. There are also plans to replace the existing Pow Wow Arbor and beautify the site by adding a community garden.

The next round of Recreational Trail Program applications is tentatively scheduled to open May 1, 2024. The applications will be administered through the Parks and Recreation Department's online platform, Web Grants. For more information, please check out the department's website at

parkrec.nd.gov/business/grants

or contact Char Langehaug, grants coordinator, at (701) 328-5357.