BATON ROUGE - Applications for Federal matching funds to support outdoor recreation are due to the Office of State Parks no later than May 1 for Recreational Trails Grant and April 1 for Land and Water Conservation Fund grants.

Grants seeking financial support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (L&WCF) can be used in the acquisition of and/or development of outdoor recreation facilities.

Applications are available online at the Office of State Parks Web site (www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ioutdoorrec.aspx) and can be submitted electronically. The site also contains valuable information about the program to include eligible projects and program requirements. The L&WCF is a reimbursement program in which approved projects gain matching funds for monies expended after approval has been obtained from the National Park Service. The program is open to any political subdivision, but private parties and non-profit organizations are not eligible to participate.

The L&WCF has provided more than $69.7 million to Louisiana since the program was signed into law in 1965. More than 900 projects across the state have been developed ranging from ball fields to swimming pools, playgrounds to water spray parks, tennis courts to skate parks.