Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

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…

The Winona District of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) will be hiring up- to four students this summer to work on a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew. The YCC program will begin Monday, June 20 and end Friday, August 12, 2022. Crew members will work a 40-hour week, Monday through…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be conducting a storm clean-up effort at the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge in Trempealeau, Wisconsin. Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge was impacted by a derecho that swept through the area on Wednesday December 15, 2021, leaving significant damage. Staff anticipate clean-up efforts to begin Monday January 31. The focus…