Not so long ago the idea of the Saint Croix River being recognized as one of America’s most beautiful rivers was just a pipe dream. The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is a beloved part of the natural landscape that Minnesota and Wisconsin share. The Saint Croix demonstrated how nature can be destroyed and permanently altered, then restored to beauty. This begs the question how did the Saint Croix still qualify to become federally protected. The story of the Saint Croix illustrates that citizens and government must come together to preserve our most prized natural landscapes. This story is important today because it demonstrates the long complex process of protecting a natural resource with multiple communities’ involved.
Next, human dependence on the river pushed it almost to the point of no return. Humans have depended on the river for as long as anyone has lived there. The Saint Croix River and its surrounding area has been destroyed, altered, and polluted. Logging, infrastructure, pollution, and dams were just a few forces that led to the destruction of the area. Thankfully, local people started to take action and government work programs helped reforest the region. This was a process where it got worse before it got better. At one point the river would be deemed not fit to swim in. The river was returning to its old beauty but societies wanted to keep altering it. Northern States Power wanted to build a new power plant in 1964 on the lower portion of the river which included a giant smoke stack. Eventually, politicians heard the outcry to save the river and took notice of the Saint Croix’s situation. Politicians through failed attempts and backroom deals were able to give part of the Saint Croix federal protection. The struggle between human demand and preserving the rest of the river continued. Finally, through even more controversy, the entire Saint Croix would be protected for future generations.
Today, the paradox is alive and well. The protected Saint Croix has marinas, bridges, dams, and power plants in close proximity. It is hard to find areas of protected area where there is no human impact but still is beautiful area that provides many recreational opportunities. Although, some negative factors like the large hydro dam and smoke stack on the river are overlooked because of their economic value. This perfectly embodies how natural beauty and societal demands can coexist. Through this give and take we can learn how to make other areas with this paradox achieve coexistence.
Despite being preserved by the National Park Service, humanity’s impact can still be scene and affects portions of the Saint Croix today. The Saint Croix showed that society will abuse a natural resource until it hits rock bottom before taking action to fix it. This is critical for all societies today that are dependent a natural resource to understand. Most societies like this need to be proactive in monitoring their natural resource before problems occur because when the resource is ruined it might not be able to be repaired. More importantly the Saint Croix teaches that beautiful natural landscapes can coexist with society.
Wisconsin Rediscovered 