ODNR details NatureWorks, Clean Ohio Trails and federal LWCF grant rules, deadlines

Dolores “Dee” Burleson, a staff member in the grant section of the Office of Real Estate at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, presented an overview of state and federal outdoor‑recreation grant programs and answered audience questions about eligibility, timelines and requirements.

Burleson said the main programs covered were NatureWorks (state), the Clean Ohio Trails and Recreational Trails programs (state and federal trail funding), and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and she described how each program differs in award size, required local match and compliance periods.

The presentation matters because local governments and eligible sponsors must align planning, matching funds and environmental reviews to short project windows and long compliance obligations if they expect state or federal reimbursement for parks and trail work.

Burleson told attendees that NatureWorks is a state grant program funded through the biennial capital budget and distributed to counties with an initial even allocation plus additional funds by county population. For the most recent round she said the NatureWorks appropriation totaled about $3,500,000; smaller counties receive allocations that can be as little as $15,000 while larger counties may receive six‑figure sums. The local match for NatureWorks is 25 percent, with rules limiting how much of that match can come from outside sources. Projects funded under NatureWorks must remain in public recreational use for 15 years, Burleson said.

She described the Clean Ohio Trails program as intended for regional trail links and larger corridor projects, with a maximum award of $500,000 and a 15‑month project period for completion. Burleson said Clean Ohio Trails awards in 2023 totaled $6,264,000 across projects with a combined cost of about $35,000,000; she cited example awards including roughly $375,000 for an East Liverpool–area connection and about $385,000 to Cleveland Metroparks for the Euclid Creek Greenway.

The Recreational Trails Program is a federal program with many similarities to the state trails program; most applicants apply to both programs using the same combined application, Burleson said. The federal trail program typically requires a 20 percent match and caps nonmotorized awards at $150,000, and roughly 30 percent of federal trail funding selected each year must support motorized trail uses.

On federal funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Burleson said Ohio receives about $9 million a year in LWCF apportionments. She noted that the LWCF carries a perpetuity requirement: projects accepted under LWCF must remain available for public outdoor recreation in perpetuity or, if converted, the sponsor must provide replacement property of equal recreational value. LWCF grants generally require a 50 percent match, with minimum awards around $50,000 and maximum awards up to $500,000. Burleson said the LWCF is administered by the National Park Service and that engineering and design costs may be funded only as part of a development project, not as standalone grants.

Burleson emphasized timing and readiness. She said the Clean Ohio and Recreational Trails application deadline for the current cycle was March 15, 2025, and that applicants must be prepared to complete projects within a roughly 15‑month window once funded. "You have to do pre planning in order to be able to make that 15 month, project period," she said. For NatureWorks she said the application deadline for the current state round is June 1 and that timing has shifted in prior years when the legislature delayed capital appropriations.

She also described administrative details: who may apply (NatureWorks is limited to local government entities as defined by Ohio statute; nonprofits and special districts are not eligible for NatureWorks), how some match may be satisfied with donated labor or federal LWCF funds, and how agencies record a notice on deeds to document 15‑year compliance. Burleson urged potential applicants to coordinate environmental reviews; she said NEPA reviews and state environmental reviews are required for federal awards, and ODNR staff support applicants through those processes.

On the possibility of a federal pause in LWCF funding around presidential administrations, Burleson said program staff had recently met with the National Park Service and were treating any pause as likely temporary while incoming leadership reviewed programs. She cautioned, however, that federal timing can affect project planning and encouraged local sponsors to be aware of that contingency.

During question and answer, attendees asked about eligible project types (permanent educational signage tied to recreation may be eligible; amphitheaters and covered structures can qualify if their purpose is to support outdoor recreation), how parkwide encumbrances work for LWCF (federal guidance typically expects the whole park to be encumbered but ODNR said it had approved some limited exceptions when a strong case is made), and the types of motorized uses covered by the federal trail program (Burleson said the emphasis is generally on motorized bikes and similar recreational equipment rather than large off‑road vehicles).

Burleson closed by offering contact assistance: "I do answer my phone, and I really do enjoy that part," she said, and encouraged potential applicants to contact ODNR staff for application help and reimbursement questions.

No formal board actions, votes or contract awards were taken at this presentation; the session was informational and included audience questions.