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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

St. Croix River Film Shown in Stillwater

JAN. 7, 2008--A new documentary short film, "The St. Croix: A Northwoods Journey," highlighting the federally protected national scenic riverway bordering Wisconsin and Minnesota and one of America's national treasures, will be shown at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14 in the Stillwater (Minn.) Public Library Margaret Rivers Room (Room B).

Filmed throughout the seasons and narrated by nationally acclaimed artist Peter Thomas, the 18-minute film merges moving currents, wildlife and history with the voices of those who are inspired by the beauty and solitude of the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers.  

A discussion follows the film. Audience members can share their personal connection to the riverway, learn about local community and organizational connections, and ask questions about the river and the film and its creation.

Today this thin ribbon of protection offers a mixture of incomparable scenery, recreation and lush landscapes, all located remarkably close to a major metropolitan area.            

In 1968, the upper St. Croix River was designated as one of the original eight wild and scenic rivers by a federal act that protects some of America's most treasured waterways. The region's citizens--under the astute guidance of then public officials are to thank for this prescient act of stewardship that the region continues to enjoy. Leading the effort was then Sen. Gaylord Nelson, the late native of Clear Lake, Wis., and known internationally as the father of Earth Day, and then Sen. Walter Mondale, who later led the nation as vice president, along with Midwestern environmentalist Sigurd Olson. The lower riverway, from Taylors Falls, Minn. to Prescott, Wis., received federal protection and designation in 1972.

The St. Croix River Institute, a partnership joining the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the National Park Service/St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, will sponsor the free showing. The institute's mission is to understand and sustain the St. Croix River and valley communities by engaging people in the experience in the region served by the river and its watershed. The institute provides and facilitates academic courses, enrichment experiences, applied research and service opportunities that are focused on the St. Croix River and its watershed in both Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway preserves, protects and interprets an unrivaled combination of exceptional natural and cultural resources and scenic, aesthetic and recreational values. The riverway includes 154 miles from near Gordon, Wis., to its confluence with the Mississippi River at Prescott, Wis., and the entire 98 miles of the Namekagon River, its largest tributary.

For more information contact Dale Cox, a ranger with the National Park Service, at 715-483-2272 or email dale_cox@nps.gov. For more information about the event at UWRF or the St. Croix Institute, contact the UWRF office of outreach and graduate studies at 715-425-3256 or 1-800-228-5607 or email outreach@uwrf.edu. The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway web site is at http://www.nps.gov/sacn/; St. Croix River Institute information can be found at http://www.uwrf.edu/ogs/stcroix/.

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