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Grant funds totaling $350,000, intended to help organizations develop and renovate shooting ranges and archery facilities for public use, are being offered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Grant applications, available from the DNR Division of Enforcement, are due back Oct. 1.
"The DNR shooting range program helps provide additional and safer places for the people to enjoy shooting sports," said Capt. Jeff Thielen, DNR Enforcement Division education coordinator. "High quality shooting ranges play an important role in hunter education programs, which train students in firearms safety and ethics."
The DNR shooting range program is made possible by a state grant program approved by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR). Funds are available now through June 30, 2001.
Restrictions include: 1. Local groups cannot receive more than $20,000 in state funding; 2. Local groups must match state funding; 3. No large structures (such as meeting facilities) can be funded; 4. Project payments will reimburse participants for no more than 50 percent of their project^s actual costs; 5. LCMR will have the final approval of sites chosen to receive funding.
DNR Range Coordinator Chuck Niska said the grants are intended to fill a void. "In my former position as Federal Aid Program coordinator with the DNR Fish and Wildlife Division, I received calls annually inquiring about the possibility of receiving Federal Aid Program Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson) funds for shooting range improvements," Niska said. "With the DNR Wildlife Section currently experiencing a budget shortfall, the likelihood of any Pittman-Robertson funding being available for local range improvement is nil."
Niska noted, however, that contacts from local clubs indicate a strong interest exists for state assistance in range management and development activities. Thielen and Niska discovered that more than 100 groups and individuals expressed a need and interest in a program to support shooting ranges in Minnesota.
"With more than 600,000 hunting licenses sold annually in Minnesota, hunters need proper facilities to ensure that their firearms are functioning properly before going into the field," Niska said. "We want to keep hunting accidents and fatalities to a minimum (there were no hunting fatalities 1998). Improved shooting facilities should help to accomplish that goal."
DNR officials estimate there are 300 local ranges operating throughout Minnesota. Many have been operating for decades and are in need of improvements to their backstops and side berms, shooting stations, and other portions of their facilities.
Preliminary grant applications were mailed to 300 groups on July 1 and will be accepted until the beginning of October. Following the conclusion of the application period, all applications will be reviewed, screened and scored by a panel of advisors assisting in overseeing the project. This includes representatives from Federal Cartridge Co., the National Rifle Association, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, and a local club representative. By the end of November, a list of ranges to be funded will be forwarded to the LCMR for its review and approval. DNR staff will also review the applications to ensure needy clubs immediately secure funding.
Once approved by LCMR, applicant groups will be contacted and asked to provide additional information about the group, such as proof of matching funding, land ownership, reimbursement processing needs, etc. Grant funding is expected to be used starting in the Year 2000 construction season. Niska said that criteria for selection have not been fully finalized, but it is intended that half of the funding be for improvements and half for new range development work. In addition, range safety will be a priority. Environmental concerns such as sound reduction and wetland protection (i.e., prevention of lead contamination and mobility) are also important factors in funding consideration.
"We hope there will be heavy participation in the grant application process," Thielen said. "It will help us gauge the amount of interest in the program, the intent of the applicants, and whether pursuing future funding is necessary."
Uploaded: 8/12/1999
Uploaded: 8/12/1999