OR Parks and Rec Commission sends grants to the region

By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 5th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

SALEM – The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission has approved grants that will have a positive impact in Morrow and Umatilla counties. The grants were approved on Feb. 24, but were only announced Wednesday.

A total of more than $1.4 million was handed out for the All-Terrain Vehicle Program. Those are funded by ATV user permit sales and a percentage of the state gas tax.

The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office was awarded $16,000 to purchase two all-terrain vehicles and accessories that will be used to conduct law enforcement patrols on land open to off-highway vehicles within the county.

The other ATV grant was awarded to Morrow County for the purchase of a crawler carrier to support both Morrow and Grant counties off-highway vehicle area operations and management. The amount of that grant was $128,000.

The commission approved a total of nine County Opportunity grants. That program is funded by RV license plate registration dollars. One opportunity grant went to Morrow County to create a master plan for its parks. That was for $46,875. There were no other County Opportunity Grants awarded in the area.