Camp Ripley Wins Environmental Award

Camp Ripley, south of Brainerd, has received an environmental leadership award from The Department of Defense.

Minnesota National Guard members were honored for the military reservations commitment to protecting the 19 miles of the Mississippi River, which runs through the Camp's Maneuver and Training Center.

Senator Amy Klobuchar congratulated members of the Minnesota Army National Guard who were in Washington, D.C. to accept the award.

Camp Ripley has taken several actions to help protect and restore the environment, including a reforestation program and the protection of 22,000 acres. The Camp has also developed partnerships for conservation management, including a coordination project with Central Minnesota's Nature Conservancy to protect the ecosystem surrounding the Mississippi River.

Vice President Joe Biden and Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III presented the Guard members from Camp Ripley with a 2009 Secretary of Defense Environmental Award. The awards recognize those within the Defense Department taking a lead in environmental stewardship.