The Land Conservancy of McHenry County and city of Crystal Lake get recreational trail grants from state

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County and the city of Crystal Lake are among the 19 recipients of grants from the state of Illinois intended to aid recreational trail development projects in improving trails and outdoor recreational facilities across the state.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced that a total of $3.7 million was awarded to the 19 recreational trail projects.

The Land Conservancy, or TLC, a private nonprofit based in Woodstock, received a grant of $192,200 for the Thompson Road trail system in the Bull Valley area, while Crystal Lake received $200,000 for Three Oaks Recreation Area.

The program provides up to 80% reimbursement to local grant recipients for the cost of trail projects, with local sponsors providing the balance of the funding. Grants may be awarded for land acquisition, trail construction and rehabilitation, purchase of equipment for trail development and maintenance, restoration of areas damaged by unauthorized trail use, construction of trail-related support facilities and educational programs.

The projects were recommended for funding by the Illinois Greenways and Trails Council, which is overseen by IDNR and is made up of representatives of statewide motorized and non-motorized user organizations, state agencies and metro-area greenways and trails coalitions.

A full list of grant recipients can be found here.