1. What can NOVA grants be used for?
- Education & Enforcement (E&E) grants
primarily help preserve opportunities by encouraging
responsible recreational behaviors through positive
management techniques.
- Nonhighway Road (NHR) projects are intended
to serve recreationists who, for the most part,
recreate on or immediately adjacent to "nonhighway
roads" (generally, roads not supported by state
motor vehicle fuel taxes). They include boaters
(nonmotorized - canoe, kayak, etc.), campers, those
who drive for pleasure/sightseers, fishers, those
who cut firewood and gather berries and mushrooms,
hunters, and picnickers.
- Nonmotorized (NM) grants primarily assist
cross country skiing, equestrian, hiking, and mountain
bicycling recreation in a backcountry environment.
Such activities must be accessed via a "nonhighway
road" (generally, roads not supported by state motor
vehicle fuel taxes. See RCW
[46.09].020 for the complete definition.
- Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) grants primarily
assist ATV, four-wheel drive, and dirt bike recreation
in both backcountry and competition track environments.
Snowmobiles are not included in this program.
2. Who may apply for NOVA funds?
State agencies, counties, municipalities, federal
agencies, and Indian tribes.
3. What are the deadlines?
The latest information is available via this link:
NOVA
Grant Schedule. Also, see the Application
Process Flow Chart.
4. Where does NOVA money come from?
NOVA Program funds come from two sources:
- Part of the excise tax paid by recreationists
for fuel used on nonhighway roads, trails, and competition
ORV areas.
- Part of the vehicle permit fees paid to the state
by ORV recreationists and ORV dealers. For further
information, see RCW
46.09.
5. What happens to unused NOVA funds?
"Unused" NOVA funds are either offered the next highest
ranked project or held over for the next grant cycle.
Funds awarded may be unclaimed for many reasons, including
an approved project using fewer dollars than anticipated
or a proposed land acquisition where the applicant
is unable to come to terms with the seller.
6. How do you decide who receives a grant?
This program involves an open and highly competitive
process in which funding relies heavily on an applicant's
oral responses to a published set of Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB) board approved
evaluation questions. A sample
presentation (available in zipped format) is available for review. The applicant
makes this presentation before an advisory committee
assembled by the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) to help prepare funding recommendations.
The committee, appointed by the RCO Director, is composed
of government representatives and nonhighway road,
nonmotorized, ORV citizen member recreationists. RCO
staff presents these recommendations to the RCFB for approval.
7. What criteria do you use to evaluate projects?
All evaluation criteria must be approved by the RCFB. To view evaluation questions, click on these
links:
Evaluation questions are based
on:
-
Need for a project.
-
Benefits of a project.
-
Technical merits of a project.
-
Degree to which the project addresses the policies
in the NOVA Plan.
8. May I attend a funding decision meeting?
May I testify?
RCFB meetings are open to the public. In these
meetings, projects are considered by the RCFB and public testimony is invited.
At this time, the board decides which projects will
be offered funding and the order of "alternate" projects
(that is, those that may be offered funding if higher
ranked projects are unable to proceed).
9. Where can I get more information?
For more information, continue to explore this web
site, or click on one of the links below:
10. What is the "fuel study" and how has it affected
the NOVA program?
[RCW
46.09.170] directs RCFB to distribute NOVA funds
by formula for various program purposes. Prior
to the 2004 legislative revisions to this chapter,
the formulas were largely based on decisions made
within political arenas and were not necessarily representative
of how NOVA-related fuel is used or responsive to
the amount of funding needed within categories.
- Fuel Study. SSB 6155, Sec. 346(3), Laws of
2001 directed RCFB to ".study the source and make
recommendations on the distribution and use of funds
provided to ORV and NHR recreational activities
under RCW 46.09.170. The study shall determine
the relative portion of the motor vehicle fuel tax
revenues that are attributable to vehicles operating
off-road or on NHRs for recreational purposes. [and]
shall include the types of vehicles and location
of their use, the types of recreational activities,
the types of recreational facilities used, and the
recreational use of forest roads."
See the NOVA
Fuel Use Study.
