Get Up and Get Out

Russell Pedersen
NRES 320 Blog Assignment

Get Up and Get Out, Visit Wisconsin’s Natural Treasures

It is early June in Wisconsin. The leaves are as green as they ever will be and the sun feels great after a long winter. The Yellow Warblers and Phoebes chatter loudly along the banks; enticing each other in the morning sun. Back to their summer homes they have flown. The dew is sweet and the air ripe with scent of rich moist soil. For the spring floods have just receded and the banks have been restocked with life for another productive summer. Wind in the swampy maples and pollen hovering in the pines. Put a paddle to the water, sit back, maybe have a little wine. It is summertime in the St. Croix River valley.
Many folks from around the world come to see the scenic beauty of the St. Croix right here in Wisconsin. It is one of the last remaining river systems of its kind in America. When was the last time that you got to paddle thirty plus miles without seeing a modern house or the downtown of some dying village? On the upper and middle reaches of the St. Croix one might now even see a soul while out paddling the whole day. Apart from a single hydroelectric dam one wouldn’t even need to portage around anything like paper mills. Sounds like the place to be in the summer. A gem undiscovered by most Wisconsin residents.
The St. Croix River also hosts remarkable flora and fauna. The most unique are the freshwater mussels. The St. Croix, it is believed, still has the same forty species that have resided there for hundreds of years. Not many rivers these days can lay claim to that. Two species of mussels take their last stand on the planet in these waters. The Winged Mapleleaf specifically has its only reproducing population right here in Wisconsin. Why not take a weekend vacation to the Northwestern part of the state and check them out?
I’ve made my wanders about the great state of Wisconsin and seen a lot of beautiful areas, but none quite like the St. Croix. There is something about that mighty and wild river that keeps me coming back. I have made a real bond with that river that I will carry with me wherever I go. I can call the St. Croix home in many ways; do you have a favorite natural area you can call home too? I encourage everyone to get out and see the wild areas right in their backyards. Maybe make a connection with an area other than where your laptop sits. Realistically, your laptop, or someone’s laptop, will always be around and in working order. Our natural lands get destroyed a little bit more every year from humans just residing on the planet. See them now while you can! Maybe once a month, or maybe once a season; however you can do it. Get up and get out, learn to call part of Wisconsin’s natural beauty home.