Goodhue County Receives the 2024 County Conservation Award

(St. Paul, MN)— The Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) and the Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR) selected Goodhue County’s “Mighty Mississippi Cleanup Challenge” and Kandiyohi County’s “Monarch Butterfly Habitat” to receive 2024 AMC-BWSR County Conservation Awards. The award was presented by BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke.

The Mighty Mississippi Cleanup Challenge, initiated by Goodhue County Commissioner Linda Flanders in 2022, aimed to address trash along the Mississippi River. The first event involved 60 volunteers collecting 30 bags of garbage. In 2023, the event expanded to three counties—Dakota, Anoka, and Ramsey—with 313 volunteers collecting 174 bags and over 2,300 lbs. of waste. The 2024 event saw 825 volunteers from Dakota, Ramsey, and Hennepin counties collecting 14,950 lbs. of garbage. This collaborative initiative brings local governments together to protect the river and showcases the power of grassroots action. Goodhue County views this as a significant achievement and will continue the campaign in 2025, encouraging other governments to join in.