Clean River Partners (CRP) is a 35-year-old environmental nonprofit rooted in the rural communities of southeast Minnesota’s Cannon River Watershed. We were established in 1990 (originally as the Cannon River Watershed Partnership) to coordinate local government units with responsibility for water and to help local communities protect and improve the land and water that sustain them. Over time, as community needs evolved, we stepped away from a formal local government coordination role—while continuing to collaborate closely with public partners—and adopted the name Clean River Partners to reflect a broader, more community-centered approach. Today, CRP advances our mission through three integrated program areas—habitat protection and restoration, conservation agriculture, and community engagement—guided by our Strategic Framework and our values of resilience, equity, hope, and intentional engagement. Our work is collaborative and relationship-centered: we partner with farmers, landowners, youth, residents, and community-rooted organizations to co-plan strategies that strengthen water quality, soil health, habitat, climate resilience, and community well-being. In recent years, we have also deepened our commitment to ensuring that everyone in our watershed feels seen, safe, and welcome in outdoor spaces and environmental work. This includes expanding programs that support queer community members—especially LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas—through opportunities for connection, belonging, and education grounded in shared experiences of place. We see this as essential to building healthy, resilient communities and a watershed future shaped by more of the people who call it home.