The Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex was established for the protection of
migratory bird
Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...
s including waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. It is located along the
Mississippi Flyway
The Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Mississippi, Missouri, and Lower Ohio Rivers in the United States across the western Great Lakes to the Mackenzie River and Hudson Bay in Canada. The main endpoints of ...
, one of the major routes for migrating waterfowl. Refuge units also provide important habitat for big-river fish and a variety of other native wildlife such as deer, fox, beaver, frogs, turtles, and snakes. Key goals are to conserve and enhance the quality and diversity of fish and wildlife and their habitats, to restore floodplain functions in the river corridor, and to provide wildlife-related recreational experiences for the public.
Several units within the Complex were established in the 1940s following construction of the
lock and dam system. Those units were consolidated into Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge in 1958. Since then, other areas have been added to Mark Twain, which now includes scattered along of the Mississippi River and short distances up the Illinois and Iowa rivers.
In 2000, Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge was split into five separate
National Wildlife Refuges -
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located on the Mississippi River at the border of Illinois and Iowa. The refuge is east of Wapello, in Louisa County, Iowa and Mercer County, Illinois.
Port Louisa is divided i ...
,
Great River National Wildlife Refuge
The Great River National Wildlife Refuge protects approximately along of the Mississippi River, stretching north of St. Louis, Missouri. Three separate units are located in the floodplain, on both the Illinois and Missouri sides of the river.
I ...
,
Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge
The Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge is located in the floodplain of the Mississippi River, adjacent to Pool No. 25 in Pike County, Missouri. The refuge's diversity of habitats supports waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and songbirds. ...
,
Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
The Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Illinois River and the Mississippi River in parts of Calhoun County, Illinois, Calhoun, Jersey County, Illinois, Jersey, and Greene County, Illinois, Greene counties in Illinois, and St. Cha ...
, and
Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Mississippi River downstream from St. Louis, Missouri. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
The re ...
. The Refuge Complex administration office, located in
Quincy, Illinois, has retained the
Mark Twain name.
The
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
is an agency of the
Department of the Interior.
External links
Official home page
National Wildlife Refuges in Illinois
Protected areas on the Mississippi River
Protected areas established in 1958
1958 establishments in Illinois
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