2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Phone: 217-224-8580 |
The Mark Twain NWR Complex offers many opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation and education. Trails, observation decks, and roads provide excellent vantage points for viewing birds and other wildlife. Fishing and hunting are allowed in many areas in cooperation with state natural resource agencies. Environmental education programs can be arranged for school groups.
When it passed the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, Congress established hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation as "priority public uses" where compatible with the mission and purpose of an individual refuge. These wildlife-dependent public uses are sometimes referred to as the "Big 6."
Not every division of the Mark Twain NWR Complex is open to all six wildlife-dependent public uses. Refuge managers use sound professional judgment in determining compatible uses, and the Refuge System Improvement Act established a formal process for determining what uses are permitted on each refuge. For more information on open areas, regulations, educational activities, and types of public use permitted on refuge units, contact Port Louisa NWR, Great River NWR, Two Rivers NWR, or Middle Mississippi River NWR.
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