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   WALKER—Colonel Troy Fink, Garrison Commander of Camp Ripley presented the 2023 Camp Ripley annual update on the Army National Guard facility’s activities to Cass County commissioners Tuesday, April 2.

   In 2023 Camp Ripley had a total of $72,7484,355 expenditures for the year, with payroll expenses being $55,049,879 and employing 800 - 1,000 state and federal employees. Construction costs were up considerably during 2023 with $21,200,000 spent on construction with only $9,647,380 million spent in 2022. Fink mentioned Camp Ripley was in the process of renovating numerous buildings along with upgrades to Area five and various other upgrades. An update to the new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum was given stating the Minnesota Legislature approved $30 million to assist in the construction with the ground breaking scheduled for early July. The museum will be located between Veterans Cemetery and State Highway 371 and will be have easier access for all citizens as it will not be located within the confinement of Camp Ripley. 

   Fink stated Camp Ripley hosted 400,839 Department of Defense soldiers and airmen and 78,511 local/state interagency partner man-days, multiple joint training events, hosted DNR and State Patrol Academies and celebrated the 51st anniversary of NOREX (Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange). 

   Fink also shared upcoming events and trainings for 2024, with the primary military training running June through October. Other events include hosting various units from surrounding states; a youth camp; youth archery, public archery and muzzle loader hunts and other various state trainings. 

   Camp Ripley hosted their bi-annual open house last September and will host the next one in 2025. This is open to the public where they will be able to tour the facility and enjoy the “Sounds of Freedom.” Some of the camps other community outreach programs include: field tours, participates in area festivals, has an outreach program to Tribal communities, offers game hunts for disabled veterans, offers a Trolling for the Troops fishing event, and celebrates with special programs National Public Lands Day, Earth Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

   In 2023, the camp collected 605 pounds of food and hosted blood drives which lead to the collection of 4,733 units, which was up considerably over the 324 units collected last year.

   Fink also mentioned each year Camp Ripley tries to burn off 17,000 acres of it’s property in a prescribed burn to reduce the rise of unplanned fires and create a safe training environment for soldiers. They plan on performing this burn on approximately 14,763 acres between the months of March through June.

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