Parks Working in Partnership

Date: September 23, 2010
Contact: Julie Galonska, 715-483-2270

 Local National Parks Working in Partnership

Superintendents Paul Labovitz and Chris Stein, of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway respectively, have pledged to advance cooperation between the two parks in order to better protect, preserve, and promote the parks and their significant natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

"There are so many connections between the Mississippi and the St. Croix – freshwater ecosystems, similar histories of human settlement and use, first class recreation, and traditions of working closely with park partners. It only makes sense for the parks to strengthen their ties through collaboration," said Superintendent Labovitz.

To formalize this partnership, the superintendents signed a "sister park" agreement during the Great Rivers Confluence Project Symposium held on September 24, 2010, in Prescott, Wisconsin. The agreement identifies areas of future cooperation, especially in the areas of interpretation, education, public outreach, and resource management.

The idea of cooperation between the two parks is not a new one, as they have worked together on such diverse programs and initiatives as mussel inventories and monitoring, public outreach, law enforcement, informational technology and educational programs.

"With this agreement, we intend to build on past collaboration and develop new areas of cooperation between the two parks and among the many park partners. We hope this will become a model for cooperation between other NPS units and between NPS units and various park partners around the nation and the world," remarked Superintendent Stein.

The agreement is available here:

The signing took place on the eve of National Public Lands Day, the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. For additional information, including projects that need volunteer help, visit: http://www.publiclandsday.org/

ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL RIVER & RECREATION AREA
Established in 1988, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area includes 72 miles of the Mississippi River stretching from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey to just south of Hastings, Minnesota. The segment of the river flowing through the park has always been of major significance as a spiritual site, a place for recreation, and a tourist attraction. [phone]. www.nps.gov/miss

ABOUT THE ST. CROIX NATIONAL SCENIC RIVERWAY
The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, a unit of the National Park System, was established by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968. It is one of a group of eight rivers in the country that first received this recognition. For 255 miles, the St. Croix River and its tributary, the Namekagon, flow through some of the most scenic and least developed country in the Upper Midwest. [phone].