Refuge Fishing Location Change

Good morning Refuge Friends and Volunteers, due to a large tree, we will not be able to use the Hiawatha Valley Marine shelter and dock for the June 7 Project COMPASS fishing event. We will hold the event at the Kiwanis Shelter at the Spillway Landing on Prairie Island instead. This will mean shore-fishing instead…

Read More

May Friends Meeting and Upcoming Events

Refuge Friends and Volunteers, please click for the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters minutes from the April 27 meeting and agenda for the upcoming May 25 meeting. Everyone is invited to attend and participate in the discussion. Next Thursday’s meeting will be held from 4:15 – 5:30 p.m. at the Refuge office, 102 Walnut Street, Suite…

Read More

Refuge Update / Friends Meeting

Hello Refuge Friends and Volunteers! This is National Volunteer Week and furthermore Global Volunteer Month. A big “THANK YOU” to everyone who has volunteered their time to the Refuge and community to make this a better place. Last year you logged over 300 volunteer hours on the Refuge, we truly could not do what we do without…

Read More

Friends March Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will be Thursday, March 3o, beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Refuge office (102 Walnut Street, Suite 205). Click here for a PDF of the agenda. There are some fun events coming up if you want to be part of the planning process!

Read More

Passing of Refuge Volunteer and Friends Member Beverly Spande

With a heavy heart we wanted to share that long-time volunteer and Friends Board Member Bev Spande passed away last week. You can find her full obituary here. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 1, 2023 at Central Lutheran Church, Winona. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. at the church. Lunch will…

Read More

Refuge Centennial Photo Contest – Call for Entries

The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters (FORH) are encouraging all amateur photographers to get outside and capture the beauty of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) for a Centennial photo contest. The Refuge, which was established in 1924 through the efforts of Will Dilg, founder of the Izaak Walton League of…

Read More

Friends February Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will be Thursday, MARCH 2, beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Refuge office (102 Walnut Street, Suite 205). Click here for a PDF of the agenda. There are some fun events coming up if you want to be part of the planning process! (The meeting…

Read More

Volunteers Needed – Kids Ice Fishing Event

We will be offering the free Kids Ice Fishing Event again this year on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 10:00 – noon at the McNally Boat Landing on the Prairie Island Dike in Winona, MN. We need volunteers to help kids fish, put wax worms on hooks, and take fish off the hook (hopefully). We…

Read More

Ice Fishing for Kids

The annual Kid’s Ice Fishing Event co-sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Friends of the Refuge Headwaters is scheduled for Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the McNally Boat Landing on Prairie Island Drive, Winona, MN. This year’s event is also supported by the Eldon Skurdahl Memorial and…

Read More