BATON ROUGE — Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco presented the Round II 2003 Recreational Trails Program awards at the State Capitol recently. Seventeen grant recipients received a total of $648,500 from this federally funded program administered by Governor’s Office of Community Programs.

The Recreational Trails Program awards are given to communities and local initiatives across Louisiana to help them improve the quality of life of their residents through various trail programs. The grants support the creation of walking and fitness trails that all Louisianans can enjoy. The grants also help restore trails that have become overgrown or need further development.

The $648,500 dollars awarded today will generate more than $1 million in local matching funds. More than 40 miles of trails will be developed across the state. The collective work of the grant recipients will restore an additional eight miles of trails.

In addition to the recreational benefits of the trails, there is also a health benefit resulting from the physical activity they encourage. In addition to walking and running trails, grants awarded today include trails for canoes, ATV and off road vehicle trails, and those for horse riders and cyclists.