Welcome from the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters

News and Events

Looking for a Job this Summer?

March 12, 2018

The Winona District of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) will be hiring four students this summer to work on a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew. The YCC program will begin Monday, June 18 and end Friday, August 10, 2018. Crew members will work a 40-hour week, Monday through Friday, 7:30…

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Blue Moon Hike

March 12, 2018

You are invited to join Refuge Ranger Ed on a hike to enjoy the last blue moon of 2018. The hike will begin at the Mertes’ Slough Landing at 7:00 p.m. and end by 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Ranger Ed will share stories of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the…

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News Release from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

March 12, 2018

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY: Four (4) Compatibility Determinations (CDs) which evaluate various economic and/or commercial uses of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are available for public comment from March 9 through April 9, 2018.  The draft CDs re-evaluate the following uses of the Refuge: Commercial Fishing Floats Commercially…

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Help Survey Great Blue Heron Nests

February 17, 2018

Friends and Volunteers, this is the time of year when the Refuge surveys the number of great blue heron nests and nest trees in the rookeries. Participants will walk from the Mertes’ landing, across the ice about 1/3 mile, to the heron colony and then walk around on the island. This activity involves a fair amount…

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