NMGF News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMGF) has announced the Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Program 2023-2024 grant cycle awards.

Awardees include:

• $20,000 to Region II Emergency Medical Services, Inc. for developing a public-safety media campaign to reduce preventable pediatric traumatic brain injuries among young OHV operators in Doña Ana, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna and Sierra counties.
• $20,000 to South Central Mountain Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. to construct two trailheads for access to motorized trails in the Hale Lake area of the Smokey Bear District in the Lincoln Nation Forest.
• $20,000 to the Town of Red River to lease a snow-grooming machine to accommodate snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the Carson National Forest.
• $20,000 to the Red Rock Motorsports Club, Inc. to purchase fill dirt for trail maintenance and erosion-mitigation projects at the City of Gallup’s Red Rock Motorsports Park.
• $19,720 to the City of Deming to produce educational material and develop multimedia awareness campaigns promoting safe and lawful recreational off-highway vehicle use within Deming’s city limits.
• $10,000 to the Village of Los Lunas Open Space Division for purchasing canvas trash bags to be distributed during OHV enforcement patrols and public outreach events, promoting ‘Leave No Trace’ responsible OHV recreation.
• $10,000 to the Red River Off-road Coalition, Inc. to lease equipment and purchase materials to repair the upper 3 miles of Pioneer Creek Road in the Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest.
• $5,000 to the New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Alliance to purchase equipment and supplies to maintain the Elephant Rock single-track trail network in the Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest.

Since 2011, the OHV Program has awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to land management agencies, non-profits and law enforcement agencies to address local areas of concern or improve existing OHV routes. Grants have assisted with the reopening of such notable OHV routes as the Elephant Rock Trail in the Carson National Forest’s Questa Ranger District; continued maintenance and rerouting of the existing Manzanita Mountain Trail System in the Cibola National Forest’s Cedro Ranger District; and the creation of a new OHV training area with parking, a tot-lot, a training pan, a skills trail, a group shelter and a vault toilet with a 10-site dry, developed campground at Brown Springs, located within the Bureau of Land Management Farmington Field Office’s Glade Run Recreation Area.

In addition, the OHV grants have assisted with education and safety-awareness campaigns throughout New Mexico. The Village of Los Lunas open space rangers have utilized their awarded grants to conduct outreach in the form of free, hands-on safety training, where a student who completes an OHV safety class is given a free helmet and goggles; the Outlaw Desert Racers have participated in community outreach events distributing reusable OHV-specific, mesh trash bags that encourage recreationists to follow the Tread Lightly! principles and be good stewards of the earth by packing out their trash; and the Cliff Hangers Off-road Club has designed and purchased OHV trail signage that identifies the trails and reminds community trail users to follow established OHV laws and rules. To date, thousands of hours have been dedicated by OHV grantees on public lands to keep New Mexicans of all ages safe.

Funds for these grants are user-generated revenues from OHV registrations collected in the state’s Trail Safety Fund and administered by the Department. No General Fund or Department of Game and Fish monies are used for OHV grants.

All OHVs operated on public lands in New Mexico must be registered. OHV users cannot ride on paved roads unless a local ordinance authorizes paved-road use. All OHV riders and passengers under the age of 18 must wear an approved helmet and eye protection, and operators under the age of 18 must carry proof of having completed OHV safety training. OHV laws and rules can be found at B4Uride.com.