Off-highway grant workshop held in Beatty

Folks from Beatty and the surrounding area learned more about the Nevada Off-Highway Vehicle Program in a workshop conducted at the Beatty Community Center Aug. 12.

Nikhil Narkhede, the program’s manager, outlined the program and presented information on how to obtain grants for off-highway projects. He gave out advice on how to write a successful grant application.

Grant money from the program can be used for a variety of things—construction or maintenance of trails, trailheads, shade shelters, grills, safety and education, signage, and more. Applicants can be non-profit, government bodies, or private organizations.

Money for the program comes from fees collected for the registration of off-highway vehicles. Narkhede said, “Registration money goes to a good cause, to good projects.”

Joining Narkhede as a presenter, Holly Smith, Nevada State Recreational Trails Mapping Coordinator, talked about the program to map all recreational trails in Nevada. She said that the goal is to have them on an online, public-accessible map. So far, she says she has mapped some 50,000 miles of trails.

The Off-Highway Vehicle Program and the Recreational Trails Program have separate grant programs, but work together to promote outdoor recreation in the state.

The next day after the workshop, Karl Olson, who has spearheaded off-road trail development in the Beatty area, joined with people from the program and others in mapping a trail from the Phinney Canyon Road to Gold Point. Another group was working on mapping from Gold Point north.

Richard Stephens is a freelance reporter living in Beatty.