Grant bringing signage, brochures for local trails

Some new signs will be going up in Beaver Creek Park.

Havre Trails was awarded a $5,020 grant from Montana Department of Commerce Tourism Grants program and will be using the funds to help highlight their newest trail.

The Rotary Canyon Loop is the newest trail to be constructed in Beaver Creek Park and Havre Trails Secretary Sammie Chagnon said the funds from the grant will be used to help create signs for the trail and new brochures for trails in the area.

Chagnon added some finishing touches that are needed on the Rotary Canyon trail such as a small, gravel parking lot at the trailhead and a big kiosk that will have maps of the trail.

"Yeah, we're pretty excited about it," she said.

Havre Trails has one year to use the funds.

Chagnon said they started the application process back in September and, as part of the process, Havre Trails needed to show that this new trail would help to bring tourists to Havre.

"The application process wasn't that bad, but we just had to wait a little while to get the notification," she added.

The kiosk doesn't have a start date, but Chagnon said the parking lot for the Rotary Canyon Loop likely will begin in the summer when the ground isn't frozen. She added that they have begun work on the signs for the trail and for the brochures, as well.

Chagnon said at the meeting with Jody Olson, also Havre Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, Olson commented on how it would be nice to have a flier she could show people regarding the new trail.

"So she had kind of requested, 'Can you guys put together something that I could hand out at the Chamber so that people know kind of where to find you, your Facebook page, so that they could see where the events are and things like that,'" Chagnon added. "And we thought maybe we can combine it and just do a Havre Trails brochure slash local trails brochure."

A map of the trails in Beaver Creek Park is printed, Chagnon said, but it is outdated and doesn't include the Rotary Canyon Loop. She said she hopes to upgrade the map to include the new trail so more people will know about it.

Chagnon said the representative from the Montana Department of Commerce commented on how most of these grants go to bigger cities like Missoula and that it was nice to see smaller cities like Havre apply for them.

Chagnon added that it is important for small cities to try and apply for grants because outdoor recreation brings in a large amount of revenue and it's "at least worth a try."

Chagnon said Havre Trails would like to thank the Hill County government, the Hill County Park Board, the Beaver Creek Park staff, the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for their support throughout the grant process.