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WORTHINGTON — Nicholas Griffith, Worthington, was awarded a $2,000 Lester Johnson Conservation Scholarship established through the Round Lake Sportsman’s Club.
Griffith graduated with an associate’s degree in May from Minnesota West Community & Technical College, Worthington, and graduated from Worthington High School later that month. He plans to attend Bemidji State University this fall to pursue his bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology.
The Lester Johnson scholarship was open to Worthington High School seniors who plan to pursue an education and career in the conservation field, such as resource management, water, biology or enforcement as a conservation officer. The scholarship was established earlier this year in recognition of Johnson’s conservation accomplishments.
A 30-year member of the Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District’s board of managers, Johnson has established permanent conservation easements on his private lands. He recently donated 53 acres of wildlife habitat land in Cottonwood County to the National Pheasants Forever organization to be managed as a wildlife area open to public hunting.
Johnson led a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Pheasants Forever and Worthington Public Utilities to protect the Lake Bella wellfield, and spearheaded the watershed district’s purchase of property near Worthington’s Buss Field to treat runoff from the city’s storm sewers. That property will be seeded to locally sourced native grass and flower species.
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Involved with Nobles County Pheasants Forever for 30 years, Johnson has volunteered a lot of time and effort to transition lands from private ownership to public hunting spaces in Nobles County.
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