Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

This is an early heads-up that Project COMPASS fishing will be held on Wednesday, May 10 at the Huff Street dock and the fishing and picnic will be Wednesday, June 7 at the Hiawatha Valley Marines Shelter. Both events start at 5:00 p.m. Anyone looking for a summer job? We will be hiring two Biological…

Friends Meeting: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 22, 4:15 p.m. at the Hiawatha Valley Marines Shelter on West Lake Winona (Dacota Street). Click here for the agenda. Swan Watch Bus Tour: The swan watch bus tour is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15 departing from the Huff Street Visitor Center in Winona at 9:00 a.m. and returning at 2:30…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that Refuge special use permits and trap tags for the 2022-2023 furbearer trapping season on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) will be issued beginning October 5, 2022. District offices are currently open to the public at the days and times listed below…

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge (Refuge) Winona offices recently recognized Tim Connolly of Pickwick, MN as the 2022 Volunteer of the Year. Tim volunteers his time helping with fishing events, picking up trash, and completing European buckthorn removal around the Refuge boat landings over the winter. While volunteer opportunities were limited…

A quick reminder about the paddling event on Thursday, July 14 out of the McNally Landing on the Prairie Island Dike (Winona) beginning at 9:30 am. Click here for details. Registration was due by the end of today but as a volunteer you can have until the end of tomorrow to register with Leslie Watson…

Boaters are asked to avoid specific backwater areas of Upper Mississippi River Pools 4, 5, 7 and 8 during upcoming invasive species control efforts. Beginning the week of June 27, 2022, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) will be contracting to have the aquatic herbicide Diquat applied to approximately 1,100 acres…

The 4th of July is just around the corner.  If you are heading to the Mississippi River for a boating or camping trip, just a reminder – no fireworks are allowed on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) because of their disturbance to wildlife as well as the litter they leave behind.…

Refuge Friends and Volunteers, there are a few items below that may be of interest and a reminder that the monthly Friends of the Refuge Headwaters meeting is today beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Hiawatha Valley Marines Shelter off Dacota Street on West Lake Winona. At the May meeting, we discussed a potential phragmites…

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will be closing the Halfmoon Landing located at 12067 622nd Street near Kellogg, MN on an intermittent basis for approximately one month beginning April 25, 2022. The landing will be closed while AMG Construction Company of Banning, California replaces three bank fishing platforms. No walk-in access…

Celebrate Earth Day with the “The Great Mississippi River Cleanup!” The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will host the river cleanup which is sponsored by Living Lands and Waters of East Moline, IL.  The cleanup will stage from the Latsch Island Recreational Area (beach) across the Mississippi…