The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is located on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

downstream from

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. It is managed by the

U.S. 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 ...

as part of the

Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex The Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex was established for the protection of migratory birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. It is located along the Mississippi Flyway, one of the major routes for migrating waterfowl. Refug ...

. The refuge consists of three parcels of Mississippi River bottomland, nearly all of it

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. They are Meissner Island, near

Valmeyer, Illinois __NOTOC__ Valmeyer is a village in Monroe County, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. The population was 1,263 at the 2010 United States Census. History After the Great Flood of 1993 the residents of Valmeyer decided to relocate the town two mi ...

; Harlow Island, near

Festus, Missouri Festus is a city situated in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States, and is also a suburb of St. Louis. It had a population of 12,706 individuals as of the 2020 census. Festus and its adjacent neighbor Crystal City are often collectively know ...

; and Wilkinson Island, near

Gorham, Illinois Gorham is a village in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census. It is known locally for its near-annihilation during the deadly Tri-State Tornado of 1925. Geography Gorham is located at (37.716897, -89 ...

. The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge has a local headquarters at Rockwood, Illinois in

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

. In all, the refuge is located in parts of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, Monroe, and Randolph counties in Illinois, and

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

and

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

counties in Missouri. The refuge relies for much of its staffing on the nearby

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre (180 km2) National Wildlife Refuge primarily in southwestern Williamson County, Illinois, Williamson County, but with small extensions into adjacent eastern Jackson County, Illinois, Jac ...

near

Carbondale, Illinois Carbondale is a city in Jackson and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". The city developed from 1853 because of the stimulation of railroad construction into the ...

. This Refuge was created in response to the

Great Flood of 1993 The Great Flood of 1993 (or Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993) was a flood that occurred in the Midwestern United States, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood wa ...

. The three parcels of bottomland that now make up this Refuge had been riverine

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

s, agricultural land protected by

dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

. After the dikes were

breached Breached was a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario, active from 2010 to 2015. Its members were Bobby Noakes (vocals), Mike Diesel (guitar/vocals), Ryan Alexander (bass), and Neil Uppal (drums). Mike Diesel was a member of the band Age o ...

by this flood, the damaged land parcels were transferred to the federal government. The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to slowly return these three parcels to the status of semi-natural bottomlands. Pursuant to these plans, the Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge was established in May 2000.

References

External links

Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
{{authority control Protected areas of Jefferson County, Missouri National Wildlife Refuges in Illinois National Wildlife Refuges in Missouri Protected areas on the Mississippi River Protected areas of Perry County, Missouri Protected areas established in 2000 Protected areas of Jackson County, Illinois Protected areas of Monroe County, Illinois Protected areas of Randolph County, Illinois Wetlands of Illinois Landforms of Jefferson County, Missouri Landforms of Perry County, Missouri Landforms of Jackson County, Illinois Landforms of Monroe County, Illinois Landforms of Randolph County, Illinois Wetlands of Missouri 2000 establishments in Illinois 2000 establishments in Missouri