Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape
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Minnesota
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Established 2015
About
The Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape covers over 805,000 acres of land along the northern stretch of the Mississippi River and is anchored by the main National Guard Training Center for units from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, and Illinois. The sentinel landscape also encompasses 40 minor watersheds, 50 miles of the Mississippi River, 49,000 acres of water bodies, the Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, and 42,000 acres of public land. Since 2015, Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape partners have pursued innovative, grassroots projects that protect agricultural and recreational land around the installation. As a result, the sentinel landscape has improved the quality of water entering the Mississippi River, preserved critical habitat corridors, bolstered local agricultural economies, and enabled Camp Ripley to conduct year-round training activities with limited restrictions.
Total Funding by Partner
| Partner | FY2015 | FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USDA | $0.78M | $0.83M | $0.52M | $1.24M | $1.75M | $1.02M | $1.30M | $1.12M | $0.44M |
| DoD | $2.84M | $3.56M | $8.93M | $4.05M | $0.00M | $0.50M | $0.50M | $0.75M | $1.30M |
| DOI | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.30M | $0.00M | $3.78M | $0.00M |
| State | $6.44M | $7.28M | $3.74M | $6.95M | $3.20M | $5.69M | $0.98M | $0.98M | $0.23M |
| Local | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.01M | $0.00M | $0.00M |
| Private | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.85M | $0.12M | $0.18M | $0.00M |
Total Acres Protected and Enrolled
| Acres Protected (Since Designation) | 23625 |
|---|---|
| Acres Enrolled (During FY23) | 45266 |
Our Partners
Federal Partners
- U.S. Army National Guard
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
- U.S. Department of Defense, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI)
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS)
Private Partners
Resources
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2023 Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape Profile
Meet the Coordinators
Kayli Overland
Kayli Overland has worked in the non-profit, environmental field since graduating college in 2018, but has fostered an appreciation and stewardship of the natural world since childhood. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College. Kayli joined LegacyWorks in the winter of 2024 as the Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape Coordinator. Previously, she worked for The Nature Conservancy’s MN/ND/SD chapter for seven years, most recently as the Mississippi Headwaters Conservation Coordinator. In her role she focused on land protection and restoration programs in the Mississippi Headwaters Basin, convened and coordinated partnerships with various stakeholders, and supported the Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape program.
Kayli is also a certified contracts specialist and a Type 2 Wildland Firefighter. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, Alec, and their dog, Rolo, and loves backpacking, reading, singing and spending time with family and friends.
Raenah Bailey
Midwest Resilience Specialist for the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape and the Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape.
Her passion for environmental science emerged during college, fueled by field-based courses, volunteering with Shirley Heinze Land Trust, and spending time at the Indiana Dunes. This led her to pursue graduate studies at Indiana University in Indianapolis, where her research focused on nitrogen’s impact on water quality in the Upper White River Watershed. She used methods like risk assessments and stormwater modeling to improve local water ecosystems. Importantly, she shared her findings not just within academic circles but also with the broader community, utilizing interactive web applications and educational outreach tools to promote awareness and understanding of water quality issues.
During her graduate studies, Raenah gained valuable experience through various internships and jobs across different sectors. Most notably, she engaged with the local community by working with private organizations such as Reconnecting to Our Waterways and Friends of Belmont Beach. She used these opportunities to connect residents with environmental science, raising awareness about local ecological challenges. Additionally, she collaborated with the Indianapolis Airport Authority on sustainability projects, where she contributed to the development and implementation of their Sustainable Management Plan over several years.
In 2024, Raenah earned her PhD in Applied Earth Sciences, a culmination of years of dedicated research, community outreach, and environmental advocacy.