Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
The Mississippi River at Merrick State Park.
Map of the United States
Location	Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, United States
Nearest city	Dubuque, Iowa
Coordinates	42°53′00″N 91°06′00″W
Area	240,000 acres (970 km2)
Established	1924
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Official website

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a 240,000-acre (970 km²), 261-mile long (420 km) National Wildlife Refuge located in and along the Upper Mississippi River. It runs from Wabasha, Minnesota in the north to Rock Island, Illinois in the south.

(United States Fish and Wildlife Service)

In its northern portion, it is in the Driftless Area, a region of North America that escaped being ice-covered during the last ice age. Certain parcels contained within the refuge were later transferred to the Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge is an important element of the Mississippi Flyway. It has many wooded islands, sloughs, and hardwood forests. The wildlife found here include the canvasback duck, tundra swan, white-tailed deer, and muskrat. Recreational activities include boating, hunting, fishing, and swimming.

Territory in refuge

The Refuge is one of only two (the other is Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge) that are located in parts of four states. As of 30 September 2007 the area per state was: Wisconsin: 89,637.54 acres (362.75 km²), Iowa: 51,147.78 acres (206.99 km²), Minnesota: 33,868.64 acres (137.06 km²), Illinois: 33,489.57 acres (135.53 km²). The following counties border on or have land within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. In each state, the counties are listed from north to south. The lakes and rivers within the refuge area of each county are also listed.

Minnesota

• Wabasha County
  • Cross Lake
  • Half Moon Lake
  • Maloney Lake
  • McCarthy Lake
  • Peterson Lake
  • Robinson Lake
  • Zumbro River
• Winona County
• Houston County
  • Blue Lake
  • Hayshore Lake
  • Lawrence Lake
  • Root River
  • Target Lake

Wisconsin

Panorama near La Crosse, Wisconsin

Sign

• Buffalo County
• Trempealeau County
• La Crosse County
• Vernon County
• Crawford County
• Grant County

Iowa

• Allamakee County
• Clayton County
• Dubuque County
• Jackson County
• Clinton County
• Scott County

Illinois

• Jo Daviess County
• Carroll County
• Whiteside County
• Rock Island County

See also

• Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge
• Izaak Walton League
• List of National Wildlife Refuges
• Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.