This award is given in recognition of successful efforts to influence public policy relating to trail planning, trail protection, trail development, or maintenance.
Sammie has personally assisted small communities in rural areas of the county by writing grant proposals for various recreational needs and has received numerous sources of grant funds.
Sammie has prepared proposals and received over $2.3 million in grant funds for park and recreation activities from Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. These funds include the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Recreational Trails Program. Sammie has also been instrumental in planning and seeking approximately $350,000 from private industry and foundations for park and outdoor recreation activities. These many recreational grant proposals and funded grant projects consist of walking trails, diversified trails, mountain bike trails, boat launches and piers, and fishing piers.
When Sammie first learned of the existence of unallocated RTP funds for motorized only recreation trails, she quickly built a coalition of county officials, trail groups, and interested citizens to begin the application process. Approximately $1.7 million has been dedicated to the planning, acquisition, and construction of the Stony Lonesome Off Highway Vehicle Park located in the southwest part of the county. The park consists of over 1,456 acres specializing in trails for ATV/OHV and other motorized vehicles.
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