Meet the 12 Minnesotans nominated for the work they do to care for our natural places
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Bill Lane from Tofte was nominated for the many hours he volunteers every week to maintain the trails around him.
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Molly Stoddard from Fergus Falls is a true friend of the prairie grasses in West Central Minnesota. She is passionate about caring for the place she calls home which includes hosting river clean-ups via kayaking and helping to install and maintain the Adams School.
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Beverly Dougherty from Willmar coordinates local purchasing efforts in and around Willmar, working to ensure that folks purchasing food in her community can do so with local farmers using sustainable practices.
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John Fennig from North Oaks is the lead volunteer of the Otter Lake Misfits, the group works to care for the dog park and surrounding areas, including caring for a changing forest canopy, controlling dog waste, and encouraging caring use by visitors to the park.
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Eric Ruhland from Eden Valley was nominated for his work collaborating with farmers to reimagine traditional agriculture and to plant native plants and tall grass prairies one 40-acre parcel at a time.
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Regions Hospital Energy Team located in St. Paul has a mission to improve health and well-being in partnership with its members, patients, and community through its long-standing commitment to energy efficiency.
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Alex Blondeau from Fergus Falls was nominated for his work on becoming a local expert on remnant prairies, seed saving, and prairie restoration in West Central Minnesota.
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Sean Connaughty from Minneapolis has been a long-time steward of Lake Hiawatha (Bde Psin), he has mobilized many volunteers to pick up thousands of gallons of trash from the lake.
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Friends of Upper Landing Park located in Saint Paul is a group of about 30 volunteers, that play an important role in stewarding the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul, together they have donated hundreds of hours to the planting and maintenance.
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Mary Flood from St. Paul was nominated for the care in her yard where she gardens without chemicals. She celebrates her garden in photos which she then makes greeting cards from.
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Kathy McNamara from New Prague organizes and manages a large group of volunteers to care for the extensive gardens of her hometown parish church. She recruits and trains The Green Team to maintain the 18 gardens, and is motivated to continue educating fourth graders to learn something about the world they inhabit and grow to care for it.
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Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary located in Two Harbors is a healing retreat created to provide rest, reconnection, and rejuvenation of mind, body & soul for Black, Indigenous, and communities of color across generations. They are stewarding the physical space to facilitate the healing necessary for communities to thrive all across the state.