Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, is pledging up to $500,000 in Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI) grant funds for 2019 to support ventures protecting outdoor recreation. Yamaha is actively seeking organizations who can utilize the available funds, and encourages interested parties to learn more about the program at YamahaOAI.com.

As part of this effort, Yamaha awarded more than $130,000 in funding and equipment to 13 organizations in the current funding cycle, including Wonders of Wildlife’s National Hunting and Fishing Day and various 4-H Foundation chapters, to support efforts protecting and improving access to public land and educating the public on its safe, sustainable recreational use by all.

“The government shutdown earlier this year put admittance to many public lands and recreational opportunities further at risk, yet thanks to the incredible support of grassroots organizations across the country, many of these properties have remained open for everyone to enjoy,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha motorsports group marketing manager. “The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative has been committed to supporting and protecting outdoor recreation for over a decade by providing resources to make a difference in the quality and sustainability of access to our nation’s public land.”

For more than 10 years, the Yamaha OAI program has contributed nearly $4 million in funding and equipment to more than 300 deserving grant recipients across the country. Yamaha continues to seek out OAI grant recipients for projects from ATV, side-by-side, motorcycle, snowmobile and outdoor enthusiasts and associations – all of whom share the common need for land access to enjoy their lifestyle. Projects receiving grants often have a strong stewardship component, as well as an inclusive community of users working together, ensuring all types of outdoor recreationists can enter public land sustainably and safely.

The following grant recipients received funding this past cycle to organize projects including trail construction and maintenance, the building of public restrooms and outdoor facilities, off-road riding safety courses and national events to encourage and support outdoor recreation. The latest Yamaha OAI grant recipients are:

·       Marion County 4H Association – Ocala, Florida
·       Mississippi State University Extension 4-H – Mississippi State, Mississippi
·       National Hunting and Fishing Day
·       Off-Road Riders Association, Black Hills National Forest – Rapid City, South Dakota
·       Oregon Department of Forestry, Tillamook State Forest – Tillamook, Oregon
·       Over the Hills Gang ATV Club – Outing, Minnesota
·       Schoolcraft County Motorized Trail Association – Manistique, Michigan
·       Southern Trail Advocates and Riders – Jamestown, South Carolina
·       Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation – Columbus, Ohio
·       Stillwater Trail Riders – Stillwater, Oklahoma
·       Toledo Trail Riders – Swanton, Ohio
·       Yakima Valley Dust Dodgers Motorcycle Club – Yakima, Washington
·       Your Forests Your Future/Salmon Valley Stewardship – Jackson, Wyoming

Link: Yamaha OAI