OLYMPIA – Projects in Pacific and Wahkiakum counties will benefit from grants just awarded by the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation.

The Interagency Committee is responsible for evaluating proposals and distributing funding for nine grant programs. In all, the state agency received 100 proposals requesting more than $12 million in funding under three grant programs. The committee was able to meet only about half that demand because of limited funding.

In Pacific County, a grant of $25,600 will go toward planning for the Leadbetter Point Wildlife Trail by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

State Parks will use this grant to plan about eight miles of loop trail additions, design three wildlife viewing platforms and obtain the necessary permits for construction in Leadbetter Point State Park, near the northern end of the Peninsula.

The State Parks and Recreation Commission recently named a trail at Leadbetter Point State Park the “Martha Jordan Birding Trail,” in recognition of the work and vigilance of Martha Jordan, a Trumpeter Swan Society board member who has successfully brought organizations together to acquire and protect wetlands in the area for habitat and public enjoyment.

The park is about 1,322 acres with shorelines on the Pacific Ocean, Willapa Bay and Hines Marsh, one of the largest, freshwater, interdunal wetlands in North America. The mosaic of ocean front dunes, Sitka spruce forest and wetlands provides unique bird and wildlife habitat. The park serves about 140,000 visitors a year and has just over 5.5 miles of trail with no wildlife viewing facilities. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-Road Vehicle Activities program. It was ranked second of 14 projects competing for funding in the non-highway road category.

In Wahkiakum County, a portion of a $72,952 grant is earmarked to maintaining off-road vehicle access in the Elochoman State Forest. Volunteers, department staff, a Washington Conservation Corps crew and prison crews will do maintenance for two years.

“Washington has a great variety of places to recreate, whether you like to go boating, hike a trail, or practice archery,” said Laura Johnson, director of the Office of the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation. “These grants play a vital role in keeping those opportunities available. They do everything from building new trails to adding lanes at a boat launch. They help us maintain what we have and add new elements to accommodate increased use.”