Friends Event

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…

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…

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 stephen_winter@fws.gov (e-mail). Click here for complete details. Swan Watch Bus…

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…

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…

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!

Volunteers Needed: Our next (and final for the year) Project COMPASS fishing event will be on Wednesday, September 7 at the Huff Street fishing dock (by the Winona Visitor Center). The event takes place from 5:00 – 6:15 p.m., please arrive around 4:30 to help with setup. This is a fishing-only event, no food is served…

The next Friends of the Refuge Headwaters meeting will be held on Thursday, August 25 beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Hiawatha Valley Marines Shelter on West Lake Winona (Dacota Street). Click here for the tentative agenda. And as a reminder, the Friends will be the special recipients of the Jazz Jam “tip jar” at…

Whether you paddle, hike, fish, or love birds, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Winona’s backyard is a world-class wildlife area that also offers fantastic recreation opportunities. This month’s Jazz Jam at Island City Brewing Company on Sunday, August 21, 2022, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. will support the Friends of…

Friends of Trempealeau Refuge are hosting a presentation of Allen Blake Sheldon. This free program will be on Thursday, August 11th starting at 6:30pm at the Outdoor Wonders Learning Center, Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. Trempealeau resident Sheldon will be introducing his recently released book Amphibians and Reptiles of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Adults and students…