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A comment period for this project closes
Feb 21, 2026:
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St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Comprehensive River Management Plan
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway » St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Comprehensive River Management Plan
The National Park Service (NPS) has embarked on a multi-year planning process to inform future management of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The Comprehensive River Management Plan, once complete, will guide NPS actions and decisions on NPS-managed lands along the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers for the foreseeable future. Input and engagement from stakeholders, Tribes, partners, and the public will help the NPS develop and build this plan.
The purpose of this plan is to establish overall management direction to protect and enhance the values for which the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway was designated as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and unit of the National Park Service. The rivers contain a free-flowing condition, good water quality, and aquatic, cultural, recreational, riparian, scenic-aesthetic, and geologic values. This plan identifies river-specific desired conditions, user capacities, monitoring and data needs, land and facility development protocols, communication goals, and other management practices necessary for protecting and enhancing river values. The plan will then provide a framework for NPS management decisions on NPS-managed lands.
In the summer of 2023, and again in the Fall of 2024, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway staff held a total of nine public engagement sessions in locations throughout the Riverway. At each session, NPS staff gave short presentations about the proposed ideas and the planning process. After these presentations, NPS staff hosted designated stations to foster conversation, gather feedback, and answer questions. Public feedback was collected directly at the listening sessions as well as online and via mail.
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is hosting the third and final round of public comments on the draft plan. This is the last opportunity for the public to participate in the planning process. Unlike earlier phrases, this stage does not include public meetings because the focus is on reviewing a detailed, 156-page draft document. Instead, the NPS invites the public to review the full draft and provide comments directly on the content.
The draft plan can be found at the "Open For Comment (1)" tab on the left hand side of this webpage.
The purpose of this plan is to establish overall management direction to protect and enhance the values for which the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway was designated as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and unit of the National Park Service. The rivers contain a free-flowing condition, good water quality, and aquatic, cultural, recreational, riparian, scenic-aesthetic, and geologic values. This plan identifies river-specific desired conditions, user capacities, monitoring and data needs, land and facility development protocols, communication goals, and other management practices necessary for protecting and enhancing river values. The plan will then provide a framework for NPS management decisions on NPS-managed lands.
In the summer of 2023, and again in the Fall of 2024, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway staff held a total of nine public engagement sessions in locations throughout the Riverway. At each session, NPS staff gave short presentations about the proposed ideas and the planning process. After these presentations, NPS staff hosted designated stations to foster conversation, gather feedback, and answer questions. Public feedback was collected directly at the listening sessions as well as online and via mail.
St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is hosting the third and final round of public comments on the draft plan. This is the last opportunity for the public to participate in the planning process. Unlike earlier phrases, this stage does not include public meetings because the focus is on reviewing a detailed, 156-page draft document. Instead, the NPS invites the public to review the full draft and provide comments directly on the content.
The draft plan can be found at the "Open For Comment (1)" tab on the left hand side of this webpage.