ST. CROIX & NAMEKAGON RIVERS - The Enduring Gift, Collector's Edition - MN nature photographer Craig Blacklock.

On November 16, 2014 Craig Blacklock's hands and face were badly burned in a sauna fire. Realizing that the cold water of his normal subject, Lake Superior, might be painful to his still-tender hands, Blacklock's friend, Mark Kozlak told Craig, "The St. Croix River needs a Blacklock book". The summer after his accident, Craig, his wife Honey, and their daughter Charis made an exploratory photography/paddling trip on the upper St.Croix River.

The water was so low they had to walk their canoe and kayak much of the time, but Craig felt the subject worthy of a full-scale book project.

He soon connected with the folks at the St. Croix River Association (SCRA) and learned that 2018 would be the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, co-sponsored by Wisconsin's Senator Gaylord Nelson and Minnesota's Senator Walter F. Mondale. That act gave federal protection to the Namekagon and much of the St. Croix, and created the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, a national park.

SCRA adopted Blacklock's book as one of their signature initiatives to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act and the creation of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

https://www.stcroixphotography.com/

https://www.stcroixphotography.com/video-craig-blacklock-talks-about-making-book-and-video/