St. Croix International Waterway Commission is an
independent, international body established by the Maine and New
Brunswick legislatures to plan for and facilitate delivery of a
heritage management plan for the St. Croix boundary corridor>It
was established through a 1986 Memorandum of Understanding and 1987
Legislative Acts by the State of Maine and the Province of New
Brunswick and extends the full length of the St. Croix boundary
waters, from their origin at the source of Monument Brook in
Aroostook and York Counties to their confluence, 185km/110mi
distant, with Passamaquoddy Bay in Washington and Charlotte
Counties. Also part of the Waterway is a 250ft/75m corridor of
adjacent shore lands in both countries.
The Waterway contains three principal sub regions:
Chiputneticook Lakes (North, East Grand, Mud, Spednic and Palfrey),
which have outstanding sport fishery resources, forested shore lands,
backcountry recreational resources and wildlife habitat
River Mainstem, recognized as one of the most unspoiled recreational
river corridors in the Northeast, valued by canoeists, fishermen and
naturalists Estuary, where 25ft/7.5m tides rise along the shores of
historic port communities and St. Croix Island, where in 1604 French
explorers established the first permanent New World colony north of
Florida.
The natural, historical and cultural resources of the
Waterway continue to support the economy of the St. Croix region and
the lifestyle of its residents. The transboundary management plan
developed for the Waterway in accordance with the New
Brunswick/Maine Memorandum and legislation establishes twenty-two
international policies for the long-term management of the St.
Croix's heritage resources. These policies stress heritage
recognition, fair resource sharing, local partnerships, proactive
planning, resource protection and compatible development within an
integrated, on-going management process. Since 1990, government and
local interests have taken voluntary action to implement this
management plan.