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…

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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…

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Kids Ice Fishing Event Planning

We will be bringing back the Kid’s Ice Fishing event at McNally Landing on Saturday, January 28, 2023. We will hold a planning meeting on Thursday, January 12 beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Refuge office (102 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Winona). Anyone interested in helping with the event is welcome to attend the meeting,…

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A Thank You and Surprise!

Thank you to those who participated in the Swan Watch Bus Tour and a special “Thank You” to retired La Crosse District Manager Jim Nissen for providing interpretation on the bus! It was a snowy but good day to see swans. If you haven’t gotten out to see them yet, check them out on Big…

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Friends October Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will be Thursday, October 27 beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Refuge office (not the park shelter). Reminder, our office is located at 102 Walnut Street, Suite 205. Please bring a mask as it will be required if the Winona County community spread level…

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Prairie Island Litter Pick-up

We will be conducting a litter pick-up of the Prairie Island dike on Thursday, October 27 beginning at 10:00 a.m. We will meet at the McNally Boat Landing (next to the Prairie Island Campground in Winona) to hand out equipment (gloves, picker-upper sticks, trash bags) and be done by noon. You will be assigned a…

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Refuge Updates

Bike/Hike: Friends President Wendy Schneider and Refuge Biologist Stephen Winter are leading a bicycle ride and hike at the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, October 20 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Space is limited and reservations are required by calling Stephen at 507.494.6214 (office), 402.310.5460 (mobile) or [email protected] (e-mail). Click here for complete details. Swan Watch Bus…

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It’s a Bike/Hike!

Thursday, October 20, 2022 | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. TREMPEALEAU REFUGE Join Wendy Schneider (retired high school teacher and Minnesota Master Naturalist) and Steve Winter (Wildlife Biologist for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge) for a fun bike ride and hike through the refuge.  We will see beautiful fall colors and identify migrating…

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2022 Swan Watch

The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will offer a bus tour to view the fall migration and changing colors of the Upper Mississippi River from 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 15, 2022. This will be the first offering of the tour since 2019 so reserve your seats early! Participants will have the opportunity to…

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Friends September Meeting

The next Friends of the Refuge Headwaters meeting will take place at the Hiawatha Valley Marines Shelter on West Lake Winona on Thursday, September 22 beginning at 4:15 p.m. Click here for the agenda. See you there!

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