This week, Greg Seitz, founder of St. Croix 360, announced he is working on a book about the St. Croix River watershed and is seeking financial support to complete the project.

This “deep map” will document the region in detail, sharing stories from across the 7,700-square mile basin that drains toward the St. Croix. It will:

• Identify the many natural forces that shape the land and its wildlife
• Take readers to unique places with stories to tell
• Look past the usual tropes of lumberjacks and settlers to the diverse peoples and communities that have created the place as we know it today

This book will be enjoyed by many readers and will serve as a timeless tribute to one of the most spectacular places on the planet. In an era of rapid change and an uncertain future, it will also be an important contribution to how we consider America’s past and present.

“Over the next two years, I need to work on the book several days a week,” Greg says. “The considerable field research and writing I have already done has demonstrated this work’s value. It’s also shown that this book will simply take a lot of time.”

The generous support of people who love the St. Croix River region is needed to complete this project. A fundraising campaign called Help Write River History to support the book seeks to raise $50,000 to fund a year’s worth of work.

Greg has already secured significant support for the project. He recently signed a contract with the University of Minnesota Press to publish the book. He has also been chosen by the Science Museum of Minnesota as an artist-in-residence at Pine Needles this year, and will spend four weeks living and working at a historic cabin along the river. Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center in Sandstone has also graciously provided Greg with an artist residency.

Stay tuned for more updates about this exciting project, and thank you to all the supporters who make this work possible. Rest assured that St. Croix 360 will continue publishing news and stories about the river while Greg is also working on the book.