Jorge Vasquez, motorized recreation grant analyst with the Division of Outdoor Recreation, gave a brief update on the Clean Vessel Act and boating-access grant application windows. He said the state application portals were open and the division's internal deadline for assembling candidate projects was Oct. 31; staff noted the federal Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) timelines were still in flux and that some federal deadlines had been delayed.

Staff asked the council for guidance on the scoring process and proposed a pre-scoring orientation meeting to review the scoring matrix, clarify evaluation criteria and reduce confusion during the formal scoring session. Council members agreed and set a virtual pre-scoring/training meeting for Dec. 2, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. and a formal scoring and funding-prioritization meeting for Jan. 6, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Staff said they would circulate applications in advance and consider accessibility concerns for reviewers.

Jorge and division staff said they will work with the Division of Wildlife Resources and other partners to coordinate the review and scoring process and will provide additional information to council members ahead of the Dec. 2 session.