Grant From the Red Wing Shoe Foundation Supports Community and Conservation
This press release was featured in the Republican Eagle.
Red Wing, MN - Clean River Partners (CRP) is grateful to announce continuted support from the Red Wing Shoe Foundation for hosting community events and conservation initiatives in the City of Red Wing and Goodhue County.
Wildflowers and bluff views from John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA
Thanks to a $10,000 grant, an increase from last year, CRP has the resources to host two community events this fall – a tour of the John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA (September 12) to highlight habitat restoration, and a collaborative cleanup site with Resilient Red Wing (September 13) as part of a larger Cannon River watershed-wide event.
The Red Wing Shoe Foundation supports non-profit organizations that align with its mission through direct grants and an employee matching program called Partners in Sharing. Their focus is to further education, promote the arts and sciences, enhance the natural environment, and promote opportunities for experiencing and enjoying it.
In the expansive one-million-acre Cannon River watershed, where nearly half the land is farmed and water quality faces significant challenges, CRP plays a vital role in connecting communities with these issues and sharing resources to help them make the decisions needed to improve watershed health.
Clean River Partners is part of a long-term collaborative conservation project to acquire and restore land for protection and public access. The partnership involves CRP, a local partner with community ties, Trust for Public Land for land acquisition expertise, and Great River Greening for restoration experience. The group will be gathering to offer a tour at John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA on Friday, September 12, from 3 pm to 5 pm. The event is free and open to the public, and attendees will have the opportunity to explore the property and learn about this habitat protection and restoration program.
Folks interested in attending this event can sign up at https://www.cleanriverpartners.org/events/jph-sbv-wma-tour. Questions about the event should be directed to Anna Holman, CRP’s Conservation Program Manager, who can be reached at anna@cleanriverpartners.org or (507) 200-8219.
The Cannon River Watershed-Wide Cleanup is CRP’s largest annual volunteer event of the year and will take place on Saturday, September 13, from 9 am to 12 pm. They’ve hosted the event since 2009 and have since collected over 100,000 pounds of trash from area parks, rivers, and lakes throughout the watershed in places like Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Northfield, Faribault, and Owatonna. This year, CRP is collaborating with a local group, Resilient Red Wing, to host a cleanup site at Bay Point Park. They’re looking for folks to help clean up the water and the shoreline. Folks must bring their own kayaks if they are interested in paddling. Cleanup opportunities will also be available on land for those who wish to participate on foot.
Folks interested in attending this event can sign up at https://www.cleanriverpartners.org/events/cleanup-2025. Questions about the event should be directed to Heron Mahr, CRP’s Community Engagement Manager, who can be reached at heron@cleanriverpartners.org or (507) 200-0502.
