Hours are 9-3 Tuesday to Saturday April to October,

not open Saturdays Nov to March

The Swans are Back!! Learn the Back Story

In the 1980s many were noticing that Pool 8 had many problems. The migrating birds were getting less and less. Islands were disappearing rapidly. Our Fish & Wildlife Service, USGS Midwest Environmental Science Center, Corps of E, state, and local experts started working on solutions.

Only with years of planning and researching could the solution be found. Lost islands were restored. Lost food sources were restored. Water levels were raised in the spring like spring floods, Water levels were lowered in the fall, …….Now every November thousands and thousands of Tundra swans come to Pool 8. Good science…. Good partnerships…. made this happen.

Get Involved With Your National Wildlife and Fish Refuge!

We are the Friends group for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge - La Crosse District. The La Crosse District is one of four districts in the 261 mile long  Refuge and encompasses Refuge properties between lock and dam # 6 in Trempealeau and lock and dam # 8 in Genoa. The waters between these dams are Pool 7 and Pool 8.

Our mission is to serve as a bridge between the Refuge and the surrounding communities. We are  dedicated to building awareness, enjoyment and support of the Refuge through; engagement, environmental experiences, education, and habitat enhancement.

We invite you to learn about us and consider joining us in our mission.

Sustain Our River was a highly successful event with 10-20 media services writing about our concerns to maintain the federal agencies for the Refuge. We need to work together to keep our REFUGE STRONG!

We All Need a Refuge by Reggie McLeod

Announcing 100th year of refuge celebration 1924 to 2024

Can something be so big that you don’t see it?

The Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge from Reads Landing, Minnesota to just upriver of Princeton, Iowa. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages this 240,000 acres of land, including countless islands and sloughs.

If Will Dilg and friends hadn’t convinced Congress to make that stretch of into a national wildlife refuge, in 1924, many of those islands and sloughs would today be planted with corn and separated from the river by a wall of agricultural levees. Many of the free boat ramps on the river wouldn’t exist or would be charging fee. Many of the remaining islands would be decorated with “NO TRESSPASSING, HUNTING OR FISHING” signs. Full article is available to you. Click here

The full article is well worth reading to introduce you the 100th year celebration of the refuge in 2024. Plans are being made in all four districts. A special issue of the Big River will be dedicated to past, present, and future of the refuge.