The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a ,Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge
Retrieved July 15, 2007 National Wildlife Refuge located in and along the

Upper Mississippi River The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River. History In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper ...

. It runs from Wabasha,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the north to Rock Island,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in the south. In its northern portion, it is in the

Driftless Area The Driftless Area, a topographical and cultural region in the American Midwest, comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. Never covered by ice during the las ...

, a region of North America that remained free from ice during the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

. Certain parcels contained within the refuge were later transferred to the

Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. It is a non-contiguous collection of parcels in the vicinity of the Upper Mississippi Ri ...

. The refuge is an important element of 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 ...

. It has many wooded islands,

sloughs A slough ( or ) is a wetland, usually a swamp or shallow lake, often a backwater to a larger body of water. Water tends to be stagnant or may flow slowly on a seasonal basis. In North America, "slough" may refer to a side-channel from or feedin ...

, and

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

forests. The wildlife found here include the canvasback duck,

tundra swan The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and th ...

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, and muskrat. Recreational activities include boating, hunting, fishing, and swimming. Refuge Headquarters are located in

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...

, with district offices located in La Crosse, Wisconsin,

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

, and

Thomson, Illinois Thomson is a village along Illinois Route 84 near the Mississippi River in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. The population was 590 at the 2010 census, up from 559 at the 2000 census. Just north of the village is the United States Penite ...

Geography

The refuge is one of only two that spans portions of four states (the other is

Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1997 to conserve, protect and enhance the abundance and diversity of native plant, fish and wildlife species and the ecosystems on which they depend throughout the Connecticut R ...

). As of 30 September 2007 the area per state was:

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

: ,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

: , Minnesota: , Illinois: . The following

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 Wabasha County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,387. Its county seat is Wabasha. Wabasha County is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The recently organized Mi ...

**Cross Lake **Half Moon Lake **Maloney Lake **McCarthy Lake **Peterson Lake **Robinson Lake **

Zumbro River The Zumbro River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, access ...

Winona County Winona County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,671. Its county seat is Winona. Winona County comprises the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The Wisconsin Territory was ...

* Houston County **Blue Lake **Hayshore Lake **Lawrence Lake ** Root River **Target Lake

Wisconsin

Paddling the Mississippi River (6972322139)

UpperMississippiRiverNationalWildlifeFishRefugeSign

* Buffalo County *

Trempealeau County Trempealeau County (, ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,760. Its county seat is Whitehall. Many people of Hispanic, Polish, Norwegian and German descent live in this area. History Patche ...

* La Crosse County * Vernon County *

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford Count ...

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States *Grant County, Arkansas *Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky *Grant County, Minnesota *Grant County, Nebraska *Grant C ...

Iowa

Allamakee County Allamakee County () is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,061. Its county seat is Waukon. History Allamakee County was formed on February 20, 1847. The derivation of the name is ...

Clayton County Clayton County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Clayton County, Georgia in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area * Clayton County, Iowa It was also the former name of Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a county located in the U.S. ...

* Dubuque County * Jackson County *

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

* Scott County

Illinois

Jo Daviess County Jo Daviess County () is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 22,678. Its county seat is Galena. Jo Daviess County is part of the Tri-State Area and is located near D ...

* Carroll County * Whiteside County *

Rock Island County Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...

References

External links

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish RefugeStewards of the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge
{{authority control Protected areas of Allamakee County, Iowa Protected areas of Clayton County, Iowa Protected areas of Clinton County, Iowa Protected areas of Dubuque County, Iowa Driftless Area Protected areas of Houston County, Minnesota IUCN Category IV Protected areas of Jackson County, Iowa National Wildlife Refuges in Illinois National Wildlife Refuges in Iowa National Wildlife Refuges in Minnesota National Wildlife Refuges in Wisconsin Protected areas on the Mississippi River Protected areas established in 1924 Protected areas of Buffalo County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Carroll County, Illinois Protected areas of Crawford County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Grant County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Jo Daviess County, Illinois Protected areas of La Crosse County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Rock Island County, Illinois Protected areas of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Vernon County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Whiteside County, Illinois Protected areas of Scott County, Iowa Protected areas of Winona County, Minnesota Protected areas of Wabasha County, Minnesota Ramsar sites in the United States Wetlands of Illinois Wetlands of Iowa Wetlands of Wisconsin Wetlands of Minnesota Landforms of Allamakee County, Iowa Landforms of Clayton County, Iowa Landforms of Clinton County, Iowa Landforms of Dubuque County, Iowa Landforms of Houston County, Minnesota Landforms of Jackson County, Iowa Landforms of Buffalo County, Wisconsin Landforms of Carroll County, Illinois Landforms of Crawford County, Wisconsin Landforms of Grant County, Wisconsin Landforms of Jo Daviess County, Illinois Landforms of La Crosse County, Wisconsin Landforms of Rock Island County, Illinois Landforms of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Landforms of Vernon County, Wisconsin Landforms of Whiteside County, Illinois Landforms of Scott County, Iowa Landforms of Winona County, Minnesota Landforms of Wabasha County, Minnesota 1924 establishments in Wisconsin 1924 establishments in Minnesota 1924 establishments in Illinois 1924 establishments in Iowa