AWARDS
2022 Working Lands Preservation Award
The Town extends our sincere gratitude to Gathering Waters for the nomination of the 2022 Working Lands Preservation Award. The Town recognizes this outstanding achievement has been made possible due to our strong partnerships with landowners, community members, government agencies, and Groundswell Conservancy.
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1995 National Awards for Environmental Sustainability
In 1995 the Town of Dunn was chosen as the winner of Renew America's annual National Awards for Environmental Sustainability in the "Growth Management / Regional Planning" category.
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Since 1995, the Town has made significant advances in growth management and natural resource protection and created the first PDR Program in Wisconsin. Through the PDR program, the Town has permanently protected thousands of acres of farmland. To honor Earth Day 2000, award winners were selected from a pool of the nearly 200 programs that had been previously recognized by Renew America and the National Awards Council for Environmental Sustainability. The Town of Dunn's PDR program was honored as part of this "best of the best" award ceremony. Town Chair, Ed Minihan, Land Trust Commission Chair, Beth Hastings, and Land Use Coordinator, Renée Lauber accepted the award in Washington D.C. on Monday, April 17, 2000.
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Town Of Dunn Named Winner Of Major National Award
Town of Dunn, Wisconsin -- The national environmental nonprofit Renew America announced today that the Town of Dunn's Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Program has been selected for a National Award for Environmental Sustainability in the category of Planning. The prestigious awards are being given by Renew America to 16 programs throughout the nation.
The National Awards for Environmental Sustainability honor verified examples of companies, communities, and individuals that are leading the change to sustainability through their programs.
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To honor Earth Day 2000, award winners were selected from a pool of nearly 200 programs that had been previously recognized by Renew America and the National Awards Council for Environmental Sustainability, a coalition of 60 leading businesses and environmental and community groups. In 1995, the Town of Dunn received the National Award for Environmental Sustainability for its Land Use Planning. Since then the Town has made significant advances in growth management and natural resource protection and created the first PDR Program in Wisconsin. "These award winners represent some of the "best of the best" of this country's environmental programs. They are shining examples of how citizens across America can support our nation's environmental and economic goals every day," said Anna Slafer, Executive Director of Renew America.
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On Monday, April 17, 2000, the Town of Dunn's PDR Program will be honored at the Renew America Awards Ceremony that will help kick off "Earth Week" in the Nation's Capital. Dana Reeve, actress and author of Care Packages: Letters to Christopher Reeve from Strangers and other friends, will host this year's Awards Ceremony from 5:30-8:30 pm at the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel Washington (Ballroom) at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.
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Town Chair, Edmond P. Minihan, said, "this recognition of the Town of Dunn's PDR Program, the only one in the State, is important for farmland protection efforts throughout Wisconsin. For our township, the combination of our Land Use Plan and the PDR Program has helped to maintain farming as a viable economic activity, keep taxes low, and retain a rural quality of life. Our goal is to protect farmland, open space, and food resources for future generations."
The winners were selected by representatives of the National Awards Council for Environmental Sustainability (NACES). NACES, coordinated by Renew America, comprises 60 national environmental, nonprofit, government, and business organizations, including the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, The Humane Society of the United States, AT&T, U.S. EPA, the National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian Institution.
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The Town of Dunn will be listed and described along with this year's finalists in Renew America's Environmental Success Index, a comprehensive database of more than 1,400 successful environmental programs throughout the United States. It is available free on the World Wide Web (see below).
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Renew America identifies, verifies, and promotes model programs that protect, restore, and enhance the environment. By offering positive, constructive models, Renew America inspires communities, government agencies, and businesses to meet today's environmental challenges. For more information about Renew America, please call (202) 721-1545.
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Ed Minihan Accepts Grassroots Government Leadership Award
On September 7, 2001, Ed Minihan, Dunn Town Chair, traveled to Washington D.C. to accept a national award for leadership and $5,000 for the Town of Dunn. The National Association of Towns and Townships presents the award to recognize one local government leader in the nation who has had a significant positive impact on the community. During his 24 years of service to the Town of Dunn, Ed Minihan has been instrumental in maintaining responsible land-use policies, initiating the innovative PDR program, developing parks, cutting costs through equipment sharing agreements with other municipalities, defeating the proposed landfill near the shores of Lake Waubesa, and challenging a 400-acre annexation petition. Photos and maps of the Town of Dunn were featured during the awards ceremony, which was attended by hundreds of local government officials from across the US.
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