The Refuge, which stretches from the Quad Cities to Grafton, Illinois, and touches Iowa and Missouri, is closed to the public, according to Mark Twain Complex Manager Bob Stratton. "Of the 28,000 acres which make up the Refuge, 26,500 acres are currently under water. Nine of the ten refuge divisions are flooded."
"Based upon past floods, which were not nearly as severe as this flooding, damage is estimated into the millions of dollars," he said. "All larger, mobile wildlife have been forced out of the refuge areas. Actual damage to roads, dikes and water control structures wont be known until the water recedes."
Stratton noted that the entire refuge is closed to the public until further notice and that the majority of active management of waters and wildlife have been eliminated for this year by the record floods. "This will significantly decrease, and possibly prevent, our ability to provide for the needs of waterfowl and other birds during this falls migration. Possibly even longer than a year."
Hundreds of thousands of acres along the 250-mile length of the Mark Twain portion of the Mississippi River flooded, including almost all of the 85,000 acres in state-managed lands and other state-owned wildlife areas.
The following is a location-by-location breakdown of flood conditions at Mark Twain as of:
Lousia Division, Iowa -- The area has been completely under water for three months due to an earlier levee break on an adjacent state management area. The only dry area is refuge headquarters; however, road access is in danger of being cut off.
Big Timber Division, Iowa -- No levees. All is under water. The multi-million dollar dredging project on the refuge will likely be ruined by siltation when the river goes down.
Keithsburg Division, Illinois -- Three major levee breaks have left the division flooded for the past month.
Gregory Landing Division (and town of Gregory Landing), Missouri -- Completely under water in the middle of a 40,000-acre lake formed when two major river levees broke.
Gardner Division, Illinois -- 7,500 acres, almost all river islands, are under 16-feet of water.
Delair Division, Illinois -- Not flooded as yet. Levees are holding; however, heavy amounts of seep water have been noted.
Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri -- Water is running over levees on all sides of the refuge. The north refuge levee is completely gone. Water is running out of the refuge through a break in the south levee. Refuge headquarters is the only facility out of the water and only accessible by boat. The town of Annada, one mile west of the refuge, was flooded when water flowed over the west refuge levee.
Bachtown Division, Illinois -- Totally under water, without levee protection.
Gilbert Lake Division, Illinois -- Totally under water, without levee protection.
Calhoun Division, Illinois -- Staff are boating into the headquarters building. With no levee protection, everything but the headquarters building is under water.
Overall flooding in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region of the Service has caused significant damage. Until waters recede, it is difficult to estimate damage, but it will be in the millions. Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries also closed in the Region include the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge (comprised of the Winona District, Minnesota; MacGregor District, Iowa; LaCrosse District, Wisconsin; and Savanna District, Illinois) Swan Lake and Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuges, Missouri; much of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota; Genoa and Iron River National Fish Hatcheries, Wisconsin; and Neosho National Fish Hatchery, Missouri.
Rains falling on already saturated areas across the Upper Midwest have been to blame for what many are calling the worst flooding this century. Water levels have yet to crest in Missouri, while they are staying close to their original record heights in Minnesotas Twin Cities. For updated information call the refuge at (217) 224-8580.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
