Senator NELSON. Yes, I do. That is a really spectacular river, I think. It was up to the Menominee Indians to preserve it for all of history since it was a part of their reservation. Indians have a great respect for nature and its resources, so nothing was built on that river for 30 miles through the reservation.

The reservation then became a county, a few years back, while I was Governor. Nothing has been put on the river yet. Well, one structure that I know of. The river has been preserved.

The State in anticipation that there would be a wild and scenic rivers system is now leasing 30 miles of the shoreline of that river on both sides from the Menominee Indians for $150,000 a year in order to keep it from being sold for lots. It would qualify for inclusion in this system and it is a magnificent river.

I might make one more point that might be interesting to you. If you look on page 32-we had this picture in color and I wish I had brought it along-on page 32, the lower righthand corner, you see an aerial picture of the St. Croix at its confluence with the Mississippi near Prescott, Wis. When you look at it in color you see the beautiful clear blue clean St. Croix and you see the muddy Mississippi. In black and white you can even see how dramatic the difference in the quality of the water of the two rivers is. The St. Croix is just about the last river, it is the only one I can find-maybe Mr. Crafts knows of onesituated close to a metropolitan area in America that is still unpolluted. That is not because of planning but because Minneapolis and St. Paul grew up on the Mississippi instead of the St. Croix.

Mr. TAYLOR. Any other questions? If not, we thank you for your very fine testimony.

Senator NELSON. I thank you for your kindness.

(The prepared statement of Senator Nelson follows:)

STATEMENT OF HON. GAYLORD NELSON, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF

WISCONSIN

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear before you today. My reasons for coming here today are twofold. First, I want to endorse and support the concept of a National Rivers system to preserve and protect some of our nation's great rivers and secondly, I want to urge you to consider the inclusion of the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers in Wisconsin and Minnesota in the initial National Rivers system.

This nation's great rivers are an integral part of our national heritage and have played a significant role in making this country great. Many of our great rivers the Mississippi, the Colorado, the Hudson, the Rio Grande, the Missouri, the Suwanee, the Susquehanna, the Shenandoah-are steeped in history and are deeply ingrained in our folklore and culture.

These rivers-and many more were the routes followed by the pioneers as they moved west, and as our great nation grew, they became the backbone of our commerce and transportation, Beyond this, our rivers are the sources of water for many of our great cities, and they afford many of our citizens unequaled recreational opportunities.

Yet, today most of these rivers are threatened by pollution which kills the fish in them and makes them unsafe for swimming or water skiing and by tasteless development along their banks which destroys their great natural beauty. We have, it seems to me, a unique opportunity to save at least some of our once great rivers by establishing a National Rivers system. We ought to take advantage of this opportunity for it might well be our last chance.

The establishment of a National Rivers system would be an excellent complement to our existing system of parks, recreation areas, seashores and lake

shores, and national forests. Public participation in outdoor recreation has increased greatly in recent years, and in the years ahead there will be an even greater demand for recreational opportunities.

The concept of a National System of rivers is neither inconsistent nor incompatible with our concepts of park and recreational development. One of the great challenges facing us today is to make available to the public a broad spectrum of recreational opportunities. In our national recreational system, there really ought to be something for everybody.

The St. Croix River-and its main tributary, the Namekagon-were studied in detail by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture as part of their coordinated, broad-scale study, initiated in 1963, of the need to preserve a nationwide system of scenic or wild rivers. The conclusion of the joint study was that the rivers were fully qualified for inclusion in the national system.

North from its confluence with the Mississippi for some 130 miles, the St. Croix River marks the boundary betweeen Wisconsin and Minnesota. At a point near Riverside, Wisconsin, the St. Croix swings into Wisconsin and meanders in a northeasterly direction to its headwaters near Gordon, Wisconsin. Along its upper reaches, the St. Croix is joined by an equally beautiful river, the Namekagon.

The Upper St. Croix north of Taylors Falls, Minnesota, as well as its main tributary-the Namekagon-is an outdoorsman's paradise. There are many miles of riverbank covered with mixed hardwoods and conifer forests; along these stretches there is superb white water canoeing. Small mouthed bass and walleyed pike abound in these waters. Wildlife is abundant along the banks and adds an exciting dimension to a canoe trip along the river.

The lower St. Croix, south of Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls, meanders through hills and gorges presenting some of the loveliest scenery in the Midwest. Timbered, gently sloping banks surround the river and its many narrow, winding sloughs. This area has already been developed to some extent; inclusion of this segment of the river in the National System would insure the protection of its scenic beauty and would develop it for broad recreational use by the public.

Based on plans developed by the Department of the Interior, the proposed St. Croix and Namekagon National Scenic River area would consist of about 85.000 acres of land and 21,000 acres of water, including 151 miles of the St. Croix River and 85 miles of the Namekagon River. Of the total land acreage, about 15.000 acres is in public ownership, including State and county forests and parks. Further, there are about 80 unsurveyed islands in the river which are in the public domain.

About 70 miles of the St. Croix River north of Taylors Falls has been owned for more than 40 years by Northern States Power Company. Northern States has not only maintained this stretch of the river in its natural state but also they have opened the area to the public for canoeing, camping and fishing. For their efforts, Northern States deserves the praise of all of us.

Over the years, Northern States has refused to sell or lease these lands or to exploit them in any way, and on numerous occasions in the past ten years, they have explored ways to preserve their holdings on the St. Croix in perpetuity for recreational uses. Northern States has, in the past, conferred with the Conservation Departments of both Wisconsin and Minnesota on how best to preserve these lands and cooperated fully with the joint Interior-Agriculture team in its study of the river.

Negotiations with the company are continuing in an effort to work out a suitable working agreement between the Federal government and Northern States Power Company to cover these valuable holdings. I am very pleased to see that private industry is both interested and willing to work with the Federal government in the development of public recreational lands. Such a partnership would represent a significant step forward in our efforts to develop quality public recreational lands and holds exciting promise for other such arrangements in the future.

On privately held land along the upper St. Croix and the Namekagon-other than that owned by Northern States-the Interior Department plans to acquire scenic and recreational easements which would cause as little disruption of the existing land use patterns as possible. On the lower St. Croix, the same recreational zoning technique that has worked so well at the Cape Cod National Seashore would be utilized. In the event that zoning does not meet the Secretary's standards, the acquisition of easements rather than purchase is planned.

Present plans call for six access points on the lower St. Croix and eight sites on the upper St. Croix and Namekagon. On the lower St. Croix, these sites would involve approximately 635 acres, not over 20 ownerships and not more than 10 improvements. On the upper river, exclusive of the Northern States holdings, 1,173 acres, 20 ownerships and 9 improvements are involved. Along the whole proposed riverway, about 16,800 acres would be protected by zoning. It is critical that we move promptly to preserve the entire St. Croix River. Pressures arising from the tremendous urban expansion of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul threaten this last great, clean water river in the upper Midwest. The threats of urban encroachment, tasteless commercial development and pollution coupled with the wide variety of outdoor experiences which are available on the St. Croix make preservation imperative.

Mr. TAYLOR. I have here statements from Members of Congress. In the absence of objection, they will be made a part of the record at this point:

STATEMENT OF HON. ALVIN E. O'KONSKI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN

Mr. Chairman: I appreciate the opportunity to present a short statement in support of legislation to establish the St. Croix National Scenic Waterway in the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Legislation which I introduced in the 90th Congress on January 26, 1967, H.R. 3983, provides for the St. Croix Scenic Waterway.

The original author of the bill, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson, I understand will testify before this Subcommittee. He is the Governor Gifford Pinchot of the State of Wisconsin, whose whole heart is behind conservation and wildlife projects. I am going to make my statement brief because Senator Nelson's background and interest in this project has been one of long standing and his statement will be far more effective than mine. For the promotion of Northern Wisconsin, I hope and pray that this Subcommittee will give approval to the legislation.

I was pleased that the Chairman of the Interior Committee, Congressman Wayne Aspinall, listed the St. Croix as one of the rivers for study in the National Rivers System in his bill, H.R. 8416, and I sincerely hope that it will be put in the category of immediate inclusion in the system, especially since it is so designated in the Senate passed National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. S. 119. The hearings conducted by the Senate Interior Committee in April, 1965, show wide support from interested individuals, sport and wildlife and conservation groups in the local and state area, as well as from all major national conservation organizations.

Mr. Chairman, I believe that the St. Croix River and its tributary, the Namekagon, fit very well the declaration of policy in Section 1(b) of H.R. 8416 that "certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments. possess outstanding remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations."

Our precious heritage of natural and unspoiled beauty and unpolluted streams, once exhausted and destroyed, can never be replaced. We are now spending millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours in efforts to restore the Potomac River in our nation's Capital, the Great Lakes, and other important waterways to some degree of their original beauty and purity. We have a golden opportunity to save the few remaining scenic and wild rivers as part of our nation's heritage for this and coming generations.

Some rivers are work rivers, like "Ol Man River," the commercial and industrial Mississippi. Others, like the St. Croix and its scenic tributary, the Namekagon, should be enjoyed for their beauty and recreational aspects alone. Many people have called the St. Croix the last clean river in the United States. With its close proximity to the large metropolitan areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as to the smaller cities in Northwestern Wisconsin, it provides an easy access to countless hour of boating, fishing, camping and other recreational pursuits for young and old alike.

Mr. Chairman, the 10th District of Wisconsin which I represent and through which most of the St. Croix and its tributary, the Namekagon, flow, is an area which is pulling itself up by its bootstraps. Its once great stock of valuable timber has been cut; its mineral resources have been sadly depleted; its farm land, which has never provided too fertile a soil for efficient agriculture, cannot support successful farming operations. Yet, this area has gone from a depressed area to one of increasing self-sufficiency. The recreation industry, with its tourist expenditures, has contributed immeasurably to the economic growth and stability of the area. Keeping the St. Croix and the Namekagon as scenic rivers is vital to the economic well-being of the area and its residents. I sincerely hope that this Subcommittee, the full Interior Committee and this Congress will unite in "Saving the Scenic St. Croix."

At this time, I would like to list some of the local area and state groups which are supporting the St. Croix as a scenic river, along with sumbitting a copy of a Resolution adopted by the County Board of Supervisors of Washburn County on January 10, 1967. The list of organizations and the Resolution follow : Wisconsin and Minnesota State Departments of Conservation

Wisconsin Wildlife Federation

Wisconsin Resources Conservation Council

Wisconsin Farmers Union

Wisconsin State Division of the Izaak Walton League

Wisconsin Federation of Women's Clubs

Save the St. Croix, Inc.

Five County Development Group of Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Iron and Price Counties

Hayward Lakes Resort Association

Southern Bayfield County Sportsman's Club

Ashland County Civic Club

St. Croix Alliance of Conservation Clubs

4-County Corners Sportsman's Club

Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission

PROPOSED RESOLUTION, ST. CROIX NATIONAL SCENIC RIVERWAY,

WASHBURN COUNTY, WIS., JANUARY 10, 1967

Whereas, the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers flowing within and along the western boundary of the State of Wisconsin and through Washburn County in the State of Wisconsin and through adjoining counties of Douglas, Bayfield, Sawyer, Burnett, Polk, Pierce, and St. Croix Counties, Wisconsin; and,

Whereas, the region has experienced economic decline and significant losses of population over the past 15 years, and due to the decline in the lumber, mining, and agriculture industries, the area must now look, in part, to the growing recreation industry for economic growth; and,

Whereas, the St. Croix and Namekagon Rivers comprise more than 200 miles of unpolluted, scenic, and undisturbed wild river and scenic riverway; and, Whereas, these areas are of great scenic and historical value and possess a high value to the Nation, to Wisconsin, and to Washburn County as examples of unspoiled areas of great natural beauty, which are used by large numbers of Wisconsin and non-resident visitors each year for outdoor recreation and physical and spiritual refreshment; and,

Whereas, these areas are within easy traveling distance of over 50 million people, and the development of outdoor recreation resources within the proposed St. Croix River National Scenic Riverway will mean additional tourist expenditures, the establishment of direct Federal employment for both permanent and seasonal jobs and the generation of many more jobs in the tourist service industry: and,

Whereas, the establishment of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway would preserve the scenic and historical beauty of these fine rivers in perpetuity for Washburn County and Wisconsin citizens and indeed the citizens of the Nation and for future generations, stimulate the development of an outdoor recreation industry, provide new jobs and new sources of income to people in the area, benefit the people of Wisconsin and the Nation, who visit these areas each year, and over the long run enhance the local property tax base by attracting new summer home development by persons desiring to use Washburn County's unspoiled lakes and wild rivers;

Be it therefore resolved, by the Washburn County Board of Supervisors. that they favor legislation providing for the establishment of a St. Croix River National Scenic Riverway in the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN D. DINGELL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, for the record, my name is John D. Dingell and I am a Member of Congress from the Sixteenth District of Michigan. I welcome this opportunity to present my statement in support of the bill, H.R. 493, which I introduced on January 10, 1967. The purpose of my bill can best be described, I believe, by quoting from President Johnson's message on Natural Beauty. The President said: "*** the time has also come to identify and preserve free-flowing stretches of our great scenic rivers before growth and development make the beauty of the unspoiled waterway a memory."

The need for Congressional action is urgent. As Secretary of Interior Stewart L. Udall said in his report to Congress, "The time to act is now, before it is too late."

A study launched by the Department of Agriculture in 1963 reported that we have in the United States approximately 100,000 miles of rivers and tributaries that average a flow of at least 550 cubic feet a second. But the truly wild, unspoiled river is almost a thing of the past. There are, however, several free-flowing rivers or segments that still retain enough of their original character, or which can be restored, to provide the distinctive type of outdoor enjoyment and inspiration that millions of Americans seek every year.

Many of these waterways also have historical significance. In the era of early settlement and exploration, they were the pathways used to open up the country. Under the provisions of my bill, these historical values would be preserved and protected.

In drafting H.R. 493, I purposely made it broad in scope, broader in fact than some of the other scenic rivers bills that have been introduced. My bill designates segments of 16 rivers as scenic river areas; whereas, some of the other bills include fewer rivers. In addition, I want to point out that H.R. 493 provides for orderly classification and subsequent development of the scenic rivers included. It also provides for systematic additions to the system over 5 and 10 year periods.

At this point, I think we should carefully consider the growing demand for outdoor recreation and open space, for these factors are an important part of the scenic rivers proposal. In the United States we anticipate that by 1975, waterbased recreation needs will increase by 170 percent over what they were in 1960. and by 400 percent by the year 2000.

In discussing this same challenge, Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman had this to say: "Every year, 9 out of 10 Americans-some 175 million of usare on the move in search of outdoor fun-places to picnic, swim, hunt, fish, play, or just to relax and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Great as the demand for such facilities already is, we expect it to triple by the end of this century.

"This growth will flow from four major factors: (1) population, expected to nearly double by the year 2000; (2) disposable income, likely to quadruple; (3) leisure time, to increase by one-third; and (4) auto travel, headed for a fourfold increase over present levels."

This, the Secretary said, is the dimension of the recreation challenge.

While affirming his belief that the challenge can and will be met, he warned, "There is one sure way to fail to meet it-that is by attempting to resolve the recreation challenge by itself. We cannot meet it piecemeal. We can adequately meet it only in the context of the total environmental challenge."

Suburban sprawl and megalopolis are also serious problems. Every year we are losing two million acres of rural area to urban use. The bulldozers and subdividers are gobbling up green space and converting it to jungles of asphalt and concrete at an alarming rate to provide for the population pile up. Somehow we must find a way to strike a balance. Somehow we must find a way to retain a part of "America, the Beautiful" while there is yet time.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I see our scenic rivers as a vital part of America's future a vital part of Countryside, U.S.A. Therefore, I urge enactment of H.R. 493 to assure unspoiled, unobstructed waterways for all of us, now and for those to come in the years ahead.