Protecting Mill Stream and the St. Croix River

By: Angie Hong

If you’ve grabbed a bite to eat at the Brookside Bar and Grill in Marine on St. Croix, you’ve probably noticed that the restaurant has a unique claim to fame; a stream runs right through the middle of the building! The Mill Stream originates in William O’Brien State Park and flows downhill, across Hwy 95, and through the Brookside, before cascading down a waterfall to the St. Croix River. This tiny stream gave rise to the first commercial saw mill on the St. Croix River and now attracts history buffs and nature lovers from around the state.

During Marine’s Art & Nature camp this summer, I led a group of grade-school aged children on a nature scavenger hunt that included searching for aquatic macroinvertebrates and other critters in the Mill Stream and St. Croix River (macro – meaning you can see them with your eyes; invertebrate – meaning they have no internal skeletons). During an hour of muddy, sloppy fun, the kids discovered a wide assortment of mussels, frogs, leeches and insect larva, including species like caddisfly larva and hexagenia mayfly nymphs (giant burrowing mayfly) that are only found in high quality, clean streams.

Click here to view the rest of the blog post at eastmetrowater.org!