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Polaris Grant Program Tops $700,000 in Aid to
Local, State and National ATV Organizations
$108,400 in New
Funds Announced
MINNEAPOLIS, May 20, 2008
– Polaris Industries is proud to announce the
completion of its second year of T.R.A.I.L.S.
grants. In more than two years, the
Polaris T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Program has granted
$700,057 in funds to local, state and National
ATV Clubs. In this first round of 2008, Polaris
granted $108,400 to 11 organizations in eleven
states. To date, Polaris has assisted 78
ATV organizations in 42 states across the U.S.
The first of its kind in the ATV industry,
the ‘T.R.A.I.L.S.’ grant program was launched in
January 2006 for ATV clubs, associations and
grassroots groups. ATV riders and the
trails they use are the lifeblood of the sport
and Polaris aimed to create a program to help.
The T.R.A.I.L.S. program makes funds
available to not-for-profit national, state and
local organizations in the United States to
ensure the future of legal ATV riding.
T.R.A.I.L.S. stands for:
T = Trail Development
R = Responsible Riding
A = Access
I = Initiatives
L = Lobbying
S = Safety
The grant program encompasses two main
objectives – promoting safe and responsible
riding, and preserving access. Funds can
be used by organizations for trail development
and maintenance projects, safety and education
initiatives, lobbying and other projects to
increase and maintain land access.
“The consistently growing interest in this
program is evidence enough of the dire need to
secure legal riding places in the United
States,” said Mike Dougherty, vice president of
the ATV division at Polaris. “We are
committed to the ongoing success of our program
and hope riders at every level will have a more
positive riding experience be it locally,
statewide or nationally because of our efforts.”
The grants ranged from $8,500 to the maximum
$10,000 and will be applied toward: trail
development, expansion, improvements,
reconstruction and connections; an off road
adventure park; ATV safety training school and
DVD; national forest trail mapping; and lobbying
efforts to re-open state forests for off-road
vehicle use.
The fifth round of T.R.A.I.L.S. grant
recipients are:
Local Organizations
North Alabama
Trail Riders Association (Alabama)
Harlan County
Ridge Runners ATV Club Inc. (Kentucky)
Gila Rough
Riders (New Mexico)
Gold Country
ATV Association (Nevada)
Cedar
Mountain Sledders & OHV Club (Utah)
Florence
County ATV Club Inc. (Wisconsin)
State
Organizations
ATV Maine
New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Association
New York Specialty Off Road Vehicle Association
South Dakota Off Highway Vehicle Coalition
National Organizations
USDA Forest Service, Cibola Ntl. Forest, Black
Kettle District (Oklahoma)
For more information on the ‘T.R.A.I.L.S.’
grant program and an application form, visit the
Polaris Web site at
www.polarisindustries.com and click on
“Riders,” then select “Right to Ride.” --
http://www.pi54.com/ATV/PDFs/TRAILSGrantAppForm.pdf
Grant applications are reviewed two times per
year -- in March and September, with
corresponding submission deadlines of March 1
and September 1. Organizations must have
501c3, 501c7 or non-profit organization status.
Project funding, or matching funding, from other
sources is an important criteria to be
considered for a T.R.A.I.L.S. grant.
About Polaris
With annual 2007 sales of $1.8 billion, Polaris
designs, engineers, manufactures and markets
all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), including the
Polaris RANGER™, snowmobiles and Victory
motorcycles for recreational and utility use.
Polaris is a recognized leader in the
snowmobile industry, one of the largest
manufacturers of all terrain recreational,
utility and side-by-side vehicles (ATVs) in the
world, and rapidly making impressive in-roads
into the motorcycle cruiser and touring
marketplace under the Victory® brand. The
Victory motorcycle division was established in
1998 representing the first all-new
American-made motorcycle from a major company in
nearly 60 years. Polaris also enhances the
riding experience with a complete line of Pure
Polaris apparel, accessories and parts,
available at Polaris dealerships.
Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and
the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600
stock price index.
Information about the complete line of
Polaris products, apparel and vehicle
accessories are available from authorized
Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris
homepage at
www.polarisindustries.com.
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