Wade Allinson, state OHV program manager, briefed the commission on recent administrative-rule changes and the OHV grant program’s recent awards.

Rule changes: Allinson said an administrative-rule update implementing House Bill 439 now permits agencies and nonprofits to request upfront funding up to the full project amount (previously typically limited to 25%). A second rule amendment (pending signatures at the time of the meeting) will allow nonprofits and public partners to count volunteer or staff match hours performed up to one year before a grant application is submitted, provided project intent and notice to the division were documented in a letter of intent. The change is intended to help projects in sites with narrow seasonal windows (desert work) by allowing match to accrue earlier.

OHV grants and search and rescue: Allinson told the commission that the OHV fee-funded grant round awarded about $1,700,000 in August and that a large portion of those awards supported search-and-rescue capabilities (radios, vehicles, drones, medical equipment). He emphasized that the OHV user community contributes to SAR capacity through these awards.

Why it matters: allowing full upfront awards and earlier match credit is intended to help smaller nonprofits and local partners begin seasonal work and reduce financing barriers for projects that need early field work. OHV-funded SAR purchases can reduce local emergency-response gaps.