A celebration of stewardship

The view from the bow

St. Croix River Awareness Week is almost here! As I first posted about in April, the St. Croix River Association and its partners are organizing a week of events to enjoy and help protect the river. They’ve recently announced the schedule, which I’ve included below. The week will feature clean-up canoe trips, family-friendly seminars, film showings, and lots more.

I’ve included R.S.V.P. links for Facebook for some of the events. These are not official registration pages, but are an easy way to share with  your friends that you’re planning on attending one of the events. You can see the full list of events on Facebook here.

Whereas…

It’s also worth noting that several communities along the river have officially proclaimed the week St. Croix River Awareness and Clean-Up Week. Kudos to St. Croix County, WI, Marine-on-St.-Croix and Afton, MN, and Hudson and St. Croix Falls, WI.

In that vein, I too have unanimously passed my own resolution. As editor and administrator of the 14,000+ fan St. Croix River Facebook page, and editor of this website, with full jurisdiction over both virtual properties, I hereby proclaim July 17-25, St. Croix River Awareness and Cleanup Week (PDF proclamation) and encourage everyone to celebrate and to engage in voluntary clean-up of river bank litter.

Personally, I hope to be able to get out for one of the clean-up canoe trips this weekend. But I may be too busy putting the finishing touches on my own project for the river: a new community journalism and advocacy website focused right on the St. Croix River watershed… Stay tuned!

Events Schedule

Saturday, July 17

• Kid’s fishing at Willow River State Park, Hudson
  • 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
  • Equipment, worms and mentors supplied. Prizes by age category for largest, smallest and most fish. State park pass required. Kids 4-12. No license required under 16.
• Canoe Trip on the St. Croix River and River Cleanup
  • 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
  • Sunrise Landing to the main boat landing in Wild River State Park
  • Meeting Location: Main Boat Landing, Wild River State Park
  • This is a rain or shine event, but not if an electrical storm is imminent. Bring your own lunch, water, gloves, insect repellant, and sunscreen. WRSP will provide bags for collecting your junk, river interpretation during the canoe trip, and disposal of our trash. Kia Donais, will be rewarding all participants with watermelon at one of our stops! Canoes will be available for rent at WRSP from Eric’s Canoe Rental 651-270-1561. $40/canoe which includes a shuttle to the Sunrise Landing area. Walking and cleaning the river at entry and exit points would be very helpful too. For the latest information. More information »
  • R.S.V.P. on Facebook and invite your friends
• Boomsite clean up
  • 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Boomsite (just north of Stillwater)
  • Sponsors: River Market in Stillwater and Friends of the Boomsite
  • R.S.V.P. on Facebook
• Nature Lab: Wolves
  • 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Cable Natural History Museum
  • How big is a wolf track? What is the difference between a wolf and a coyote? What do wolves sound like? Are there packs along the Namekagon River? Stop in the Cable Natural History Museum to talk with a National Park Service Ranger and get answers to these questions and more. Plus make plaster wolf tracks to take home with you. For information, call (715) 635-8346.

Sunday, July 18

• St. Croix River Clean Up Canoe
  • Kayak from Osceola to William O’Brien State Park
  • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Meeting Location: Osceola Landing
  • Back up rain date July 25th. Lunch stop below the swing bridge. After shuttling back to pick up cars at Osceola, plan to gather at William O’Brien for a pot luck social. Bring lunch, water, gloves, sunscreen, hat, and canoes/kayaks. Clean-up bags provided.
  • Contact: Sally Leider 651-433-4286 or sallystcroix@mac.com
  • R.S.V.P. on Facebook
• Canoe and Annual Meeting Apple River Association
  • 11 a.m., Meet at the parking lot of Parker Creek DNR Property on 35th Avenue, Polk County
  • Boat up this cold water fishery and back to the Apple River. Not strenuous. Canoe on the Apple as well, through Little Falls, Rapids Class 1, maybe 1.5. Annual Meeting nearby at 410 125th Street. Signs Grillables and beer provided. Bring a dish to pass. Peter Henry 715-268-6893

Tuesday, July 20

• Youth Action Hudson clean-up
  • 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Meet at the bandshell with a BBQ lunch to follow.
  • Contact: Amy Nowicki, amy.nowicki@youthactionhudson.org
• Clean Boats, Clean Water
  • 2 p.m., Lakefront Park, Hudson, WI
  • Come and learn about cleaning boats before launching and after taking them out of the water to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.This program is intended for school-age children and their parents. Program includes stories, songs, activities, an optional craft project and an opportunity for participants to demonstrate what they’ve learned by examining and pointing out why the boat on site is not ready to go into the water.

Wednesday, July 21

• Paddle to Seattle
  • Festival Theater, St. Croix Falls
  • Taylors Falls native J.J. Kelley is a filmmaker who lives in Washington, D.C. and works for National Geographic. He produced an independent film last year picked up by PBS Wisconsin. It’s a fun and gorgeous adventure film where J.J. and a friend build two wooden kayaks and paddle from Seward, Alaska to Seattle, Washington. See a trailer at the movie’s website.
  • Being broadcast on PBS July 22nd.
• Putting the Pieces Together; From the River’s Point of View
  • 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Hudson waterfront
  • $15 pre-registration required
  • Fifth in a series of DNR and partner sponsored workshops designed to help communities better understand their role and options in protecting the St. Croix’s scenic and natural values. This workshop will offer a “view from the river” session where local communities will have an opportunity to showcase practices they have implemented to restore ecologic functions of riparian corridors and tributary streams, protect scenic qualities and recreational values as well as to improve water quality. The session will include discussion about the challenges, barriers and strategies developed by communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas. The workshop will also offer breakout sessions that begin to answer the questions that local community leaders continue to ask about their role in protection the river valley: Why is it so important? What should we do? How do we begin? Register here.
• Guided Boat Tour: Still Waters
  • 7 to 8:30 p.m., Stillwater Boomsite Wayside
  • The St. Croix River north of Stillwater, Minnesota, is a place where people and water merge with time. It is a historic and fragile area, laced with long, narrow, tree-covered sand islands and lined by steep limestone bluffs. Join a National Park Ranger aboard a park boat to explore this special place during a 1½ hour guided tour. Life jackets provided must be worn. Space limited.
  • Registration required. (715) 483-2274.

Thursday, July 22

• Junior Ranger Program: Bald Eagles
  • 10 to 11 a.m., Weiss Community Library, Hayward
  • Paddlers on the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers sometimes glide right under this magnificent national symbol. Learn about the life history of bald eagles by acting out their behaviors. This fun program, along with other activities developed for children ages 8 – 12, will help you to earn a National Park Junior Ranger badge and certificate. (715) 635-8346.

Friday, July 23

• Native Landscapes
  • 7:45 to 8:30 p.m., St. Croix River Visitor Center, St. Croix Falls
  • The restoration of native plant species brings benefits to land and water resources, wildlife, and people, while also helping create healthier lakes and rivers. Join a National Park Ranger to learn more about these benefits and see what is currently blooming in the native landscape area at the St. Croix River Visitor Center. (715) 483-2274.

Saturday, July 24

• Wet ‘n Wild St. Croix River Day
  • 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Minnesota Interstate State Park
  • Prepare to get wet and wild as you fish with MinnAqua, paddle the St. Croix in a voyageur canoe, search for mussels with area researchers, get an up-close look at fish in a 100-gallon aquarium, dive into the history of logging the river, and more!
  • R.S.V.P. on Facebook
• Budd Access Grand Opening Celebration
  • Kinnickinnic River Land Trust.
  • See www.kinniriver.org/field-trips

Sunday, July 25

• Twilight Paddle: Full Thunder Moon
  • 5 to 8 p.m.
  • St. Croix River, Wisconsin and Minnesota Interstate State Parks to Osceola Landing
  • Meet a National Park Ranger at the Wisconsin Interstate St. Croix River landing at 5:00 p.m. or the main river landing at Minnesota Interstate State Park at 5:15 p.m., then embark on a 6 ½ mile paddle to observe the river at twilight and learn about the special nature of this protected area. Participants must provide their own canoe/ kayak and other gear, including a personal floatation device. Shuttle service is not provided as part of this program: canoe and kayak rentals and shuttle services are available through area outfitters licensed by the National Park Service. This program will be cancelled in event of inclement weather. There is no charge for the program, but an annual vehicle sticker or daily pass is required to enter the state parks. For information or a list of outfitters (715) 483-2274.
  • R.S.V.P. on Facebook and share with your friends!

All Week:

• Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours, narrated history, wildlife and geology, some dinner cruises. More information »
• Taylors Falls Canoe & Kayak Rental celebrating 100 years this season.  Book online & save $3.
• Canoes and Kayaks, narrated history, wildlife and geology. More information »

More info:

• The full and still-being-updated list of events is available on the St. Croix River Association’s website.