Patty Loew:
The Mississippi River helps set the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Further north, the St. Croix national scenic riverway carves out the boundary. One of only four areas in the state that is part of the national park system. Two rivers make up a 252 mile scenic riverway. St. Croix and the Namekagon. Dan Small, of Milwaukee Public Television, focuses on the wilder of the two, the Namekagon in Douglas County.
Woman:
Unbelievably wonderful, mystical, magical place, the Namekagon River.
Woman:
Fishing is second to none. We are blessed to live in this area.
Woman:
Wisconsin is the most beautiful state I've ever seen. It's just gorgeous. I love all the trees, the water. It's just so alive that it's just very pleasant being here.
Dan Smalls:
The Namekagon River flows for 100 miles through northern Wisconsin. A century ago, the river carried millions of logs downstream to busy saw mills to make the lumber that built the cities of the Midwest. Today as part of the St. Croix national scenic riverway, the Namekagon is preserved as a natural and recreational corridor.
Branda Thwaits:
I don't want to make the people watching this show jealous, however, there is a chance that I have the greatest job out there.
Dan Small:
Branda Thwaits is an interpretive ranger for the national park service. Her beat is the Namekagon River. Her vehicle, a kayak.
Branda Thwaits:
My job is to connect people to the river. So, if they have a question about the turtles or the history of the river, cultural history, natural resource, we try to give them more information to connect them to why this particular resource is so incredibly important. I will have so many people tell me, I've been coming here since I was a kid, I brought my kids, and we have been, this is our 30th year taking our annual trip on the river, or I drive up from Iowa every year with my buddy here and we have been on the river. It's unbelievable how many people come back to this river year after year because something about it just really connects with people.
Wendy Williamson:
When I was young, I remember, you know, being on the river and you would rarely see any traffic at all, even, you know, canoes, and never inner tubes. It was kind of, you had it all to yourself. Even 11 years ago when we came back, there was a lot less traffic. It's being enjoyed a lot more in different ways.
Dan Smalls:
Wendy Williamson grew up on the Namekagon. Today she makes her living on the river and it's obvious she cares deeply about it.
Wendy Williamson:
My husband Larry and I own the Hayward Fly Fishing Company and have been guiding on the rivers 11 years now. I guess the thing that I would like more than anything would be for there to be the proper respect for the river, that it is not a water park, that there are lots of things that live here that were here way before we started doing this, whether it's, you know, the insect life, the fish themselves, turtles, it's just incredible the wildlife that is here. And for us to come into their world and disturb it, I think we need to be more conscious of that and up the respect for this river.
Wendy Williamson:
Not bad, two casts, two fish.
Branda Thwaits:
Fishing is a big deal on the river. The most popular is canoe and kayaking and tubing for sure. And you can do a short stretch that might take you an hour and you can go out for five, six days if you want. A place like the Grand Canyon might be like a once in a lifetime encounter that really affects you deeply. It might be once in a lifetime. The Namekagon is more like your old friend that you just, you can't get enough of and you can't quite put your finger on why, but that person just becomes a part of the fabric of your life and that happens with this river.
George Drake:
We are from the south side of Kansas City and we enjoying traveling around and doing campground hosting, and we decided to come up here and spend the summer, and the parks department was willing to allow us to do that.
George Drake:
Anything you need, let us know. We are right over here.
Woman:
Okay, thank you.
George Drake:
You bet, see you later.
George Drake:
One of the things that's really impressed me about the whole situation of the St. Croix national scenic riverway, is the employees of the parks department, whether you are talking about the law enforcement ranger, the interpretive ranger, the maintenance people, no matter who it is, their primary objective is to make sure the visitors get the most out of their visit here. It's rewarding to see that.
Wendy Williamson:
I realize the importance of preserving what we have here, and this one especially because it is, it's a park and it's wild and scenic, and it's been designated as such, and I would just hope that it's going to be taken care of.
Branda Thwaits:
I spend a lot of time thinking about this, a lot of time thinking why is the Namekagon versus other rivers part of the national park system, and you know, time and time again when I talk to visitors, it's clear that it's not something I can say to you it's because, and this is true, the Namekagon and the St. Croix have an incredibly healthy population of mussels, or because the rivers are fairly clean, it's not something simple like that. It's more the way it makes people feel and more how connected they are and I think when it was first established, you know, a lot of it was from the ground up. People cared.
Patty Loew:
To take a look at the other three national park sites in Wisconsin, just go to our website at wpt.org. And click on the national parks segment. You'll find our reports on the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, North Country, and the Ice Age national scenic trail.
