QUINCY - Port of Quincy officials last week announced plans to purchase an 87-acre parcel of land near the Columbia River for tourism and recreational activities.

The port recently carried out a purchase and sale agreement for the Dave Bishop property, Port of Quincy spokesperson Pat Boss said. They have about a year to secure the about $1 million needed to move forward with the acquisition, he said.

Boss said the port is currently in the process of putting together applications for state grants to cover the cost of the land purchase.

"We're pursuing three or four grants right now to acquire the property," he said.

Boss said the state has several grants that are ear marked for projects like the port's Nature Preserve and Learning and Interpretive Trails Project.

"We feel good about the fact that there are some good opportunities in terms of grants to apply for and we're obviously going to pursue them," he said. "We think we can cover generally most of the purchase cost, or all of it through grants."

The port is trying to have their applications for those grants in by about April. Funding from those grants would be allocated to the chosen applicants by early 2015.

Port officials unveiled the details of their proposed project during a public meeting last week. Boss said the port believes acquiring the Bishop property will enhance tourism, recreation and education opportunities in the area.

The land is located in the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Recreation Area and surrounded by public lands owned by various state and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Department of Natural Resources.

The property has access to trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, according to information from the port. There are also several interpretive trails regarding the Ice Age floods as well as flora and fauna interpretive trails with wildlife and bird watching areas.

The property also has a pond for freshwater fishing and provides access to Ancient Lakes and other public fishing areas.

"The port feels it has a lot of value to the county in terms of recreational value and value in having an open space people can use for various activities," he said. "It's just a unique piece of property."

Boss said so far, several groups have supported the port's project.

"We feel really good in terms of support we're getting," he said.

About 20 people attended last week's meeting. They represented tourism groups, environmental groups and mountain biking groups, among others, he said.

And about six people from around the state participated in the meeting via teleconference.

"We had a good cross section at that meeting, all kinds of people that would want to use the property for various uses," he said.