Tourism grant supports Whitefish Trail improvements

The Whitefish Trail project has received a $75,000 grant from the State of Montana to assist with trail construction and trailhead facilities.

Whitefish was one of a dozen communities selected to receive a Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program grant this year.

Whitefish Legacy Partners will use the grant to help fund construction of over four miles of trail providing access to Dollar Lake and Little Beaver Lake. It will also support construction of trailhead facilities at Dollar Lake, as well as interpretive trails and signage for Phase II of the Whitefish Trail learning pavilion.

“Tourism is an important part of our economy, and these grants will help our communities welcome the millions of visitors who come here every year to make their Montana moment,” Gov. Steve Bullock said in a press release.

In his Main Street Montana Project, Bullock has identified marketing Montana as a business and tourism destination one of the key pillars for economic development. According to the release, tourism added more than $3.6 billion to the state’s economy in 2013, with roughly 11 million visitors coming to the state.

The state’s TIIP grants are awarded on an annual basis to eligible nonprofits, communities and tribal nations for the construction of new tourism facilities, enhancement of existing facilities, and the preservation of Montana’s heritage and cultural tourism treasures.

TIIP grant funds are provided by the 4 percent Montana Lodging Facility Use Tax, which is assessed on the lodging price of all accommodations across Montana, including campgrounds. The grants are awarded through a competitive process and require $1 match for every $2 provided by grant funds.

The TIIP grant cannot be used for the Beaver Lakes easement payment that Whitefish Legacy Partners is currently fundraising to complete by Dec. 31.