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NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 73 



The St. Croix River bisects a large region of western Wisconsin and east 

 central Minnesota that exhibits a wide range of habitat types. This region 

 supports not only birds, but many mammals, fishes, reptiles and am- 

 phibians, and several thousand species of vascular and nonvascular plants. 

 The river itself is relatively clean through most of its course, and its natural 

 flow is interrupted by only two small dams. 



Because the river Ues within a 1-day drive of nearly 10 million people 

 (Waters 1977), use of the area for recreational purposes is extremely heavy. 

 Recreational pursuits include sunbathing, boating, and wild river kayaking 

 in the summer, and ice fishing and cross-country skiing in the winter. The 

 large number of unique and highly fragile habitats that exist there may 

 never be compatible with the uses and abuses of the land that go with ex- 

 panding human populations. 



Through the efforts of a number of citizens concerned with the quaUty of 

 their environment and the foresightedness of several local. State, and Fed- 

 eral legislators, a portion of the upper St. Croix River Valley (hereafter 

 termed "the Valley") was established as a National Wild and Scenic River. 

 Through establishment of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (P.L. 

 90:542), the ground rules were estabhshed to preserve free-flowing streams 

 that have "outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and 

 wildUfe, historic, cultural, and other similar values." Any person who has 

 spent time along a stretch of the St. Croix would have to agree that this 

 river meets or exceeds all the criteria that the Act estabhshed. 



The history of this magnificent valley is cloaked with the adventures of 

 lumber barons, trappers and hunters, commercial fishermen, and many 

 others. During the days of the early voyageurs, the river served as a vital 

 Unk between the Great Lakes and the growing MinneapoHs-St. Paul area. 

 Excellent descriptions of the colorful history of the Valley are provided by 

 Link (1977) and Waters (1977). 



Although the Scenic River Act provides considerable protection for the 

 lands and resources directly adjacent to the river, there is no comparable 

 legal measure to protect lands not bordering the river. Several man-influ- 

 enced impacts are escalating in the Valley and provide a continual threat to 

 remaining resources. Two influences providing the greatest threat to the 

 natural resources of the Valley are urban expansion and agricultural produc- 

 tion. First, the continual, almost unabated spread of urban development has 

 already had a profound impact on existing habitats. Second, agriculture has 

 had a growing impact on bird hfe in the Valley. Lands producing row crops, 

 small grains, and hay in St. Croix County in 1967 totaled 75,910 ha. This 

 acreage increased 17.4% to 88,057 ha by 1977 (U.S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture, personal communication). The total hectarage of lands in agricultural 

 production (row crops and hay) made up 16 and 18.8% of the Valley in 1967 

 and 1977, respectively. These examples suggest the magnitude of the impact 

 that agriculture has had upon wildUfe resources in the past two decades. 



It can be argued that the agricultural hectarages cited above represent 

 changes in cropping practices rather than actual increases in the hectarage 

 of wildhfe habitat converted to agricultural production. However, increased 

 technology and the growth of agribusiness have resulted in a shift to fence- 

 row to fencerow farming with serious impacts on many upland habitats. 



