Camp Ripley substitutes as an environmental classroom for local schools and students. For many years, students from local schools have trekked to Camp Ripley to learn about protection and managing the environment. More recently students have had the opportunity to pair up with local staff and participate in daily work activities.

Camp Ripley is also utilized by college and university students to gain experience through a variety of opportunities from access to data for analysis projects, to discipline specific hands-on experience, as well as Graduate-level research projects. These programs are designed to give students real life, on-the-job experience in a field that is interesting to them. It exposes the students to activities that cannot be simulated in a traditional classroom setting. What could be a better place to learn about the environment than a 53,000 acre laboratory?

Camp Ripley is proud of becoming a leader in our environmentally conscious community. Making constant use of updated technology combined with a caring, well-educated staff, has allowed Camp Ripley to maintain its excellence in environmental stewardship.

The Minnesota National Guard has been the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards over multiple years in multiple categories for outstanding achievements and innovative environmental practices. The Minnesota National Guard has two directorates administering environmental programs in compliance and conservation.

Camp Ripley is one of seven Sentinel Landscapes in the U.S., working in partnership with the Departments of Agriculture, Defense and Interior to deliver conservation practices to local landowners. The Minnesota National Guard also has cooperative agreements with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to offer conservation easements and the Conservation Fund to complete land acquisitions within the Army Compatible Use Buffer.