Refuge Centennial Photo Contest – Call for Entries
The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters (FORH) are encouraging all amateur photographers to get outside and capture the beauty of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) for a Centennial photo contest. The Refuge, which was established in 1924 through the efforts of Will Dilg, founder of the Izaak Walton League of…
Read More2023 Kids Ice Fishing Event
Check out these great photos from our 2023 Kids Ice Fishing Event:
Read MoreFriends February Meeting
The next regular meeting of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters will be Thursday, MARCH 2, beginning at 4:15 p.m. at the Refuge office (102 Walnut Street, Suite 205). Click here for a PDF of the agenda. There are some fun events coming up if you want to be part of the planning process! (The meeting…
Read MoreVolunteers 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…
Read MoreIce 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…
Read MoreKids 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,…
Read MoreVolunteers Needed for Invasive Buckthorn Removal
Volunteers are needed Wednesday Jan 4 and Wednesday Jan 11 to help with invasive buckthorn removal at McNally Landing. Biologist Froehly will be cutting buckthorn from 9am to 3pm each day, though volunteers can choose to help for half a day, or even a couple hours—any time is helpful! Volunteers will be pulling cut buckthorn…
Read MoreRefuge Updates
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…
Read MoreA 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…
Read MoreFriends 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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