Community Service

Red River Valley Co-op Power employees worked at Buffalo River State Park again this spring as part of Minnesota Touchstone Energy Cooperative’s annual statewide GreenTouch event. Co-op employees worked with Park Manager Brian Nelson who coordinated the camp ground clean up effort.

Red River employees cleaned out all the ashes and trash from the campground fire rings and re-set them by leveling them and adding fill around the perimeter. They also straightened camp site markers and did general cleanup in the campground. The volunteers raked up leaves and used a four-wheeler to pull a lawn sweeper in the camping area. A Bobcat was used to haul fill to the fire rings, to level some camp sites and to fill in some low spots in the parking lot near the swimming area.

Minnesota’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives that participate in project GreenTouch are part of a group of 20 rural electric cooperatives throughout the state. Touchstone energy is a co-brand used by cooperatives all over the nation to market what local electric cooperatives stand for, Integrity, Accountability, Community Involvement and Innovation. The state park sponsorship fits well with the touchstone energy commitment.

This year marks the sixth year of a six-year partnership between the touchstone Energy Cooperatives and Minnesota State Parks. In addition to volunteer time, the sponsorship also gives the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources $40,000 each year to help fund the State Park Guide and the Junior Park Naturalist program. “During the past five years, Touchstone energy has organized about 2,800 volunteers to donate more than 10,000 hours in May to take care of Minnesota’s finest resources – their state parks,” said Courtland Nelson, director of Minnesota State Parks. “Everyone’s helping hand is much needed before the rush of Memorial Day,” he said.

In 2000, the first year of the Greentouch program, Red River Co-op Power volunteers upgraded the electric service at the Park. All 35 campsites were wired with 50, 30 and 20 amp outlets capable of handling the needs of all types of recreational vehicles.