Volunteers come together for clean water

On the second Saturday in September, over 140 participated in a watershed cleanup spanning from Cannon Falls to Waterville, targeting more than 20 shoreline miles along the Cannon and Straight Rivers. The event marked the 16th year of Clean River Partners’ Cannon River Watershed-Wide Cleanup, encompassing various sites within the nearly million-acre watershed. Throughout the years, volunteers have removed thousands of pounds of litter, including car seats, tires, lawn chairs, mattresses, food wrappers, and clothing.

The cleanup was part of Clean River Partners’ new Volunteer Corps program, which provides eager volunteers with a wide range of opportunities to improve water quality and biodiversity in their local environment through restoration and conservation efforts, education events, and more. This program is made possible thanks to funding from Northfield Shares, Xcel Energy Foundation, Henkel Foundation, and the Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation.

Earlier in the summer, Clean River Partners collaborated with Great River Greening on several events near Northfield and Faribault. In one instance, volunteers sowed native grass seeds at Sunktokeca Creek Wildlife Management Area to aid in landscape restoration. Additionally, a tree-planting event was held at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, where volunteers assisted in reforesting an area previously cleared for human habitation. This year, Clean River Partners has organized six Volunteer Corps events, bringing together around 170 volunteers.

Individuals can still join the final volunteer event of the season in partnership with Organic Compound. They will plant four varieties of willow trees along Prairie Creek to protect water quality, prevent erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. After the event, volunteers will enjoy a lunch courtesy of the Organic Compound team. To learn more about this event and CRP’s Volunteer Corps program, visit cleanriverpartners.org.