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The 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
shorelands in both countries.
The Waterway contains three principal
subregions:
Chiputneticook
Lakes (North,
East Grand, Mud, Spednic and Palfrey), which have outstanding
sport fishery resources, forested shorelands, 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 longterm
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.
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