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. is <br />i <br />Randy S. Ferran <br />Chief, Resource Management. <br />St. Croix National Scenic Riverway <br />National Park Service <br />and <br />Steven P. Johnson <br />. River Management Supervisor <br />innesota Department of Natural Resources <br />Division of Waters <br />In the early 1960s, two seemingly unrelated <br />issues were swirling through the American <br />political landscape and would eventually come <br />together. <br />First, in Minnesota and Wisconsin, a <br />political firestoan raged aver Northern States <br />Power Company's plans to build a huge new <br />coal-fired generating plant on the St. Croix <br />River at Oak Park Heights, just south of <br />Stillwater. Lacking the kind of environmental <br />laws that exist today, there was little <br />goven'unent officials could do but watch as NSP <br />moved forward with its plans. The controversy <br />stretched. as far as Washington, and a U.S. <br />Senate committee held hearings on the issue- <br />but couldn't impact the power company's plans. <br />The second, Congress was in the midst of <br />tinkering with proposals t0 Create a national <br />system to protect some of the country's out- <br />standing rivers. While many of those rivers <br />were in the West where much of the riparian <br />lands were federally owned, the national <br />visibility of the St. Croix and the high profile of <br />Wisconsin's Sen. Gaylord Nelson and Minne- <br />sota's Sen. Walter Mondale (both of whom had <br />strong personal ties to the St. Croix), led <br />naturally to the St. Croix being among those <br />rivers on the table when a national rivers bill <br />-was discussed. <br />-By 1968. NSP's Allen S. King Plant was <br />coming on-line. and the power company was <br />interested in enhancing its somewhat tarnished <br />public image. Agreements were reached with <br />key members of Congress for significant land <br />donations from NSP on the Upper St. Croix, and <br />Congress was finally able to move on its rivers <br />», se turn to page 2 <br /> <br />.\ ' 3 <br />:.~ ~ fr~~f l ~ Its WatO ..... . f..:.'~ <br />-- ~lttOr Education History Med@ ..-:.. .~ <br />~' esota Wetlands Plan :.. .:.:.:.":8 <br />~.~70d 13acaV9ry PJO~@Ct .:. ... . y0 <br />Tvwnsl»p River i"rarntng :: :: f i. . <br />t;~EMA's - INiti~ation Grsrit Program . . 92 <br />Y Up ~to NFlP Rofoim Act :. ... • 15 <br />~=~vnmurtity Sys#am~,(CfTS)1[tad®Eas~e~.. .-tl!6 <br />' n~ ~t .iy <br />_of Ilia Ivor a9 <br />=AMA ~ i~ands_ -Wdhheld .:::.+ . 2a <br />w`.on.Bray!N.at. .~: ,~. .:,~:21 <br />9I 63N+. • • • i ~• • + ... 21 <br />i~• ter ~ivana AifOks S ~ n Guide..:....... ; :22 <br />., P. DoCUmor~tvd . .. .23 <br />'-~hM nts . - _ .. _.... _ .23 <br />~. ®' ` .....2d <br />