Seventeen organizations will split some $217,000 for winter trail grooming across Alaska — with the historic Iditarod Trail among the beneficiaries, according to Alaska's Snowmobile Trail Grant Program.
The town of White Mountain was awarded $10,070 to repair or replace 300 tripod markers that mark the final 77 miles between that community and Nome, where the world's premier long-distance sled-dog race ends. White Mountain is where mushers take their final mandatory eight-hour rests before heading to the finish line, and Iditarod history includes several memorable races in which mushers were blasted by storms on that last stretch and either lost leads or were forced to hunker down.
Alaska's Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation funded two safety, signing and education projects in addition to snowmobile trail grooming after hearing from the Snowmobile Trails Advisory Council (SnowTRAC), the citizen advisory board that reviews Snowmobile Trail Grant Program applications.
The Alaska Avalanche Information Center was tentatively awarded $10,000 to create and install signs at several locations that are prone to avalanches.
The Snowmobile Trail Grant Program is funded with money generated through snowmobile registration fees.