PHOENIX -  The Arizona Game and Fish Department has $600,000 available in grant money to enhance and improve access to Arizona lakes and waterways. 

"If you enjoy boating on Arizona waters, this money is specifically for improving that kind of recreation. Every year, the department makes grant funds available to applicants who have projects with a boating access focus that otherwise might not receive funding. This is the time of year to apply for the money," says the Game and Fish Department's boating facilities program manager, Ron Christofferson.

The program began in 1984 through the Wallop-Breaux Amendment to the Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950. Under the Sport Fish Restoration Act, a minimum of 15 percent of the tax on fishing tackle and motorboat fuel must be used to provide boating facility improvements on public lakes and waterways that allow gas powered motorboats.

In Arizona, so far approximately 89 projects have been completed, ranging from renovating and building new boat launch ramps, boat and trailer parking lots, courtesy docks, and restrooms, to improving access to the water for the disabled.

"This is an outstanding example of a program where the people who pay fees and taxes wind up directly benefiting from the money. In this case, anglers and boaters pay taxes on fishing tackle and motorboat fuel and import fees on tackle and boats. Then, this money is allocated each year to state game and fish agencies to support fisheries and boating access projects that anglers and boaters can enjoy," says Christofferson.

Agencies and individuals eligible for the grant money are those with legal ownership or control of public sites that provide access to any Arizona waterway that allows motorized boats.

Recent participants involved in the boating access grant program are the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Parks, and other agencies committed to improving boating access for Arizona's recreational boaters and anglers.

Grant funds are awarded through a competitive application process, and applicants are reviewed and judged on the basis of priorities, project feasibility, and overall merit as they relate to the current needs of the boating public.

For more information on how to apply for the grants, visit the department's boating facilities Web page by going to azgfd.gov/watercraft then click on "Boating Facilities Program" on the left side of the page.