We are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office responsible for the following activities in Minnesota and Wisconsin: administering the Endangered Species Act; identifying sources of environmental contamination, assessing impacts of contaminants to fish and wildlife resources and helping to restore contaminated habitats; ensuring that fish and wildlife are considered by federal agencies during project planning for construction of roads, bridges, dams and other infrastructure; working with partners to restore and protect coastal resources, enhance fish passage and control exotic invasive species around the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Coastal Program.
Latest News
Endangered Species Act
They have quirky names and are often mistaken for stones, but freshwater mussels are very much alive and perform critical ecological functions in rivers and streams. We've drafted a plan to save four imperiled mussels protected under the Endangered Species Act: the rayed bean, sheepnose, snuffbox...
Endangered Species Act
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on a draft recovery plan for the lower 48 distinct population segment of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), informed by an updated species status assessment.
Endangered Species Act
We're proposing to list the salamander mussel as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and are seeking public comment. The salamander mussel is a species of freshwater mussel currently found in scattered populations across 14 states from New York southwest to Arkansas. We are also proposing...
Get Involved
How many times have you watched a documentary showing the plight of an endangered species sliding toward extinction and wondered what you can do to help? We have good news for those of you who live in the range of the rusty patched bumble bee: Helping save this endangered pollinator is something...
Endangered Species Act
The effective date of the final rule to reclassify the northern long-eared bat from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act is being extended by 60 days, from Jan. 30, 2023, to March 31, 2023. The extension will allow us to finalize conservation tools and guidance to avoid...
Endangered Species Act
The bat, listed as threatened in 2015, now faces extinction due to the rangewide impacts of white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease affecting hibernating bats across North America. The rule takes effect on January 30, 2023. The growing extinction crisis highlights the importance of the Endangered...
Our Organization
Our Species
Working with partners within and beyond the boundaries of our two states, the Minnesota-Wisconsin Ecological Services Field Office works to recover and prevent the extinction of our nation’s most imperiled species. We focus our efforts on many species, including the rusty patched bumble bee, Karner blue butterfly, piping plover, Poweshiek and Dakota skipperlings, freshwater mussels and northern long-eared bat.
Get Involved
Our imperiled and listed species need your help! There are many ways you can help threatened and endangered species in your yard. Learn what you can do to provide the resources your local species need.