Prairie Island Litter Pick-up

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…

Read More

Refuge Updates

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 [email protected] (e-mail). Click here for complete details. Swan Watch Bus…

Read More

It’s a Bike/Hike!

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…

Read More

Refuge Updates

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…

Read More

2022 Swan Watch

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…

Read More

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Recognizes Volunteers

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…

Read More

Friends September Meeting

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!

Read More

Refuge Updates

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…

Read More

Friends August Meeting

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…

Read More