Nonprofit shooting ranges based in Oregon are invited to apply for a cost-share grant to improve their facilities. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on March 17.
The application can be found online at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/education/hunter/range_development.asp
ODFW grants $80,000 to Oregon shooting ranges each year. Among other projects, last year’s grants were used to help Douglas Ridge Rifle Club in Eagle Creek purchase a portable classroom and for Siuslaw Rod and Gun Club in Florence to purchase and install a covered building near the firing line.
The program is funded through the Wildlife Restoration Act, a federal excise tax on hunting equipment that is distributed to states based on their number of licensed hunters. Grants are available for shooting ranges that maintain a non-profit status and provide access to the general public and hunter education class instructors and participants.
Decisions on which projects to fund are made by the Shooting Range Development Advisory Committee, which includes members from sportsman and shooting groups, ODFW and Oregon State Police.
Projects eligible for reimbursement include backstops, berms, target holders, benches, baffles, protective fencing, signs, lighting, field courses, platforms, roads, parking areas, sanitary facilities, storage rooms, shelter buildings and classrooms. All range construction must be on lands owned by the applicant or lands controlled by the applicant by a use permit, lease or easement that ensures use for a minimum of 10 years.
Ineligible projects include clubhouses, employee residences, similar or other facilities not essential to the operation of the shooting range or the conduct of hunter education classes; maintenance expenses; portable items that are easily stolen or lost; and items that do not have an expected life of at least 10 years.
For more information, contact ODFW Hunter Education Coordinator James Reed at 503-947-6016 or email him at James.D.Reed@state.or.us.
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