Friends Event

Here are a few time-sensitive items to share with our friends and volunteers: If you’ve been waiting to purchase an America the Beautiful Park Pass they have finally arrived! Annual passes are $80; senior annual passes (persons 62 and older) are $20; senior life-time are $80; and disabled persons access passes are free. You can…

Refuge Friends and Volunteers, the next meeting of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will be held at the Refuge Office (102 Walnut Street, Suite 205) beginning at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, February 24th. Masks will be required. If you would like to attend but are not comfortable meeting in person, a virtual option will…

We would like to welcome new Friends Treasurer Margaret (Megs) Hurkman. We want to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Treasurer Bev Spande for her years of service to the Refuge and Friends. Bev has held the President, Vice President and Treasurer positions in her 15+ years of membership/volunteerism with the Refuge. While Bev will…

At the last Friends meeting it was approved for the Friends to apply for a MN Department of Natural Resources competitive grant to combat the invasive species flowering rush. Click here to learn more about flowering rush on the Winona District by looking at the program provided by Refuge Biologist Jennie Froehly. You can learn…

The annual Kid’s Ice Fishing Event co-sponsored by the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) and Friends of the Refuge Headwaters is scheduled for Saturday, February 19, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the McNally Boat Landing on Prairie Island Drive, Winona, MN. Children ages 6 through 13 and their families…

Refuge Friends and Volunteers, the next meeting of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will be held at the Refuge Office (102 Walnut Street, Suite 205) beginning at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, January 27th. Masks will be required. If you would like to attend but are not comfortable meeting in person, a virtual option will…

Winners in four categories were chosen by judges in the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters’ (FORH) Summer and Fall on Our Refuge Photo Contest. Submitted photos were taken on Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge or Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. There were 55 incredible entries from 15 photographers making judging a challenging task.…

The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters are reminding all amateur photographers that the deadline for accepting entries for the current photo contest is December 3, 2021. Photos that capture the summer and fall beauty of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) are part of the current…

It’s been a slow start to the annual swan watching season on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) but they are starting to arrive! The tundra swan migration is a highlight of the fall on the Refuge offering a once-a-year spectacle for all to enjoy. At their peak, which usually occurs…

The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters wants you to get out and enjoy the refuge! To assist you with your planning, we have started a project that will provide information about the landings that you can visit. Three landings are currently available: McNally, Mertes, and Verchota. We will continue to update this list in coming…