MOSES LAKE — The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board recently awarded almost $2.8 million in Grant and Adams counties, part of more than $148 million awarded statewide to build and improve parks and trails, conserve wildlife habitat and maintain land for farming and forestry, according to an announcement from the board. 

“These grants are critical to keeping Washington a premier destination for outdoor adventure as well as a great place for Washingtonians to live,” Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office, wrote in the announcement. “These grants are key to building great communities. The grants help communities light ball fields, make parks accessible to people with disabilities, connect gaps in trail systems, refurbish pools and resurface pickleball courts.” 

Monies furnished to Grant County through the board include $1 million to buy 640 acres of Beezley Hills just north of Quincy to facilitate reintroduction efforts for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit; $65,000 to update and maintain the toilet facilities at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes; $150,000 to develop a shooting range at the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area in the Potholes area; and $665,000 to update restrooms and parking at Evergreen Reservoir, Lind Coulee Island, Heart Lake and Windmill Lake.

The sole Adams County project financed by the grant will be renovations to Kiwanis Park in Othello. That grant provides $346,500 to build new basketball courts, according to the RCO’s project snapshot.

“The existing courts, which are 40 years old, consist of one standalone half-court and two hoops on a multi-court tennis court,” the RCO wrote in the grant description. “These courts are undersized and have outlived their useful life. This project would replace them with two full-sized lighted courts and one all-inclusive bankshot court, benches, landscaping, safety features and walkways connecting to ADA paths.”

In total, the board awarded 242 grants to projects in 35 of the state’s 39 counties, according to the board’s announcement. The RCO received 411 applications requesting more than $266 million in funding, meaning 59 percent of the projects received funding. 

“Recreation not only is important to Washington’s economy, but to the health of the people who recreate here,” Duffy wrote. “Countless studies have shown that spending time outside can improve a person’s physical and mental health, reduce stress and even improve eyesight. It also does so much for our kids, including helping them improve their social connections and school grades. These grants are important for ensuring there are great places to recreate across Washington.” 

    The basketball courts at Kiwanis Park in Othello will get an upgrade through a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board.