National Park Service Programs Get Veterans on the St. Croix

The St. Croix River is a place for military veterans to get together for a sense of peace and camaraderie, with programs offered by the National Park Service, according to stcroix360.com: 

The idea of outings for veterans started with a feeling of gratitude, says Branda Thwaits, from the Park Service’s Namekagon ranger station. “There has been a  lot of effort by a relatively small group of people, a lot of hardship, so it felt like a responsibility. Here we have two of the nation’s more beautiful rivers, let’s use them.”

What started with a paddle for female veterans in 2012 grew into several outings in 2013, including a family paddle on the Namekagon River, trips on the Park Service’s pontoon boat in Stillwater, and a fishing trip in oar-powered drift boats, with help from local outfitters. The Park Service worked with the St. Croix River Association this year write a grant to the National Park Foundation which allowed them to purchase kayaks for the program.

“We got together and said, ‘we’ve got the river, we’ve got vets in the area, some use it, some don’t know about it, some want to but don’t know how to go about getting on the river,’” Butler says.

Addressing that need is the core of the project. The trips aren’t about therapy or treatment, but merely about connecting veterans with the rivers, and all they have to offer.

“I don’t consider myself someone who’s guiding veterans on the river, just to the river,” Butler says.

Read the full article at St. Croix 360.