Project COMPASS Fishing Event – Canceled

At the Friends monthly meeting last week, it was determined that the Project COMPASS fishing event scheduled for Sept 1 would be difficult to accomplish while maintaining social distancing guidelines. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to assist, hopefully, we will be able to hold our ice fishing event this year, more to come on…

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Friends of the Refuge Headwaters August Meeting

The next Friends of the Refuge Headwaters (FORH) meeting will be held at the Hiawatha Valley Marine Shelter located at 527 West Lake Street in Winona beginning at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, August 26. We have lots to talk about including the upcoming Project COMPASS fishing event and new photo contest. The meeting shouldn’t last…

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Volunteers Needed

Refuge Friends and Volunteers, the crisp morning today reminded me that fall is right around the corner which means hunting season will soon begin. Several of our volunteers have helped us with waterfowl hunter bag checks and car counts in the past and we wanted to get on your calendars early. As of today, we…

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Ramp Improvements Close Local Landings 

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Winona District will be closing the Weaver Landing on Hwy 61 at Weaver, MN and Indian Slough Landing on Hwy 25 between Wabasha, MN and Nelson, WI on an intermittent basis for approximately one month beginning July 15, 2021. The landings will be closed while Solutions 101, LLC…

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No Fireworks Allowed on the “Upper Miss” Refuge

The 4th of July is just around the corner. If you are heading to the Mississippi River for a boating or camping trip, there are few things to know before you go! While most of our Refuge land and water is open for public enjoyment, offices and visitor centers will remain closed until further notice.…

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Final Closed Area Evaluations on Upper Miss Refuge

Approval of the Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) in 2006 resulted in the refuge’s current closed area system consisting of twenty closed areas on the river and three sanctuaries. All refuge closed areas and sanctuaries are characterized by a closure to all migratory bird hunting. In addition to being closed to all migratory bird hunting,…

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Prairie Island Dike Cleanup

Friends and Volunteers, we would like to invite you to participate in a cleanup of the Prairie Island Dike in Winona from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 10. The dike will be divided into 1/2 mile sections with two people assigned to each section. Dress for the weather, wear gloves, bring a…

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Spiders & Snakes & Rats – OH, MY

(A Humorous Account of over 40 Years of Nature Education) Long time volunteer at both Trempealeau NWR and Upper Miss and retired teacher Scott Lee has written a new book. Many of our friends and volunteers may know Scott. Here’s what he says about Spiders & Snakes & Rats – OH, MY. I’ve been writing…

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Wetland Coffee Break Presentation Series

The Wisconsin Wetlands Association’s Wetland Coffee Break presentation series has a several great talks lined up for this spring and summer: June 11: Ears in the Driftless: BioAcoustic monitoring in a restored wetland with Mike & Marcie O’Connor June 25: Establishing a Bay of Green Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve with Emily Tyner July 9: Managing…

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