COLUMBUS, OH – Ten local communities across Ohio will share $392,904 in federal Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants to improve and expand their public outdoor recreational facilities and neighborhood parks, under recommendations made by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Grants of $50,000 each – the largest in this round of funding - were recommended for Twinsburg Township in Summit County, the City of Parma in Cuyahoga County and the City of Logan in Hocking County. Twinsburg will use the money to acquire nine acres, known locally as the Ricks-WTRP property, for Twinsburg Township Park. The City of Parma will acquire 50 acres for Big Creek at Snake Hill Natural Area with its money. And, the City of Logan will use their allocated funds to develop an ADA-accessible playground at Mingo Park.

Two of the selected projects are first-time LWCF recipients. Five of the recommendations involve land acquisitions totaling more than 82 acres for local parks and preserves. Others involve improvements to neighborhood pools and other construction.

“There is an increasingly clear connections between young people’s access to nature and both increased test scores and decreased anti-social behavior,” said Sean Logan, director of ODNR. “These LWCF grants are excellent uses of our public dollars, and serve to bring nature closer to more young Ohioans.”

The Land & Water Conservation Fund federal grant program is administered in the state by the ODNR, which reviews local applications and recommends recipients for final federal approval. Since the fund was initiated in 1965, more than $150 million has been awarded to projects in Ohio.

The 10 local projects recommended for funding this year were selected from a field of 22 applicants. The federal government provides up to 50 percent reimbursement for a public outdoor recreational project through each Land & Water Conservation Fund grant, while the recipient is responsible for the remainder. Federal funds support­ing the program are derived from offshore oil lease revenues and other non-tax sources.