"If youre planning to make a trip to enjoy a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge or fish hatchery you should give them a call first to make sure they are open to the public," Sam Marler, Great Lakes-Big Rivers Regional Director said. "Early estimates indicate damage to Service lands and facilities, with major losses of vital wildlife habitat around the Region. I guess the only good news is that many of the flooded areas were wetlands rather than built-up residential areas or the overall damage would be much greater."
Refuges from the Twin Cities to the boot heel of Missouri have been closed. Currently closed include the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (which is comprised of the Winona District, Minnesota; McGregor District, Iowa; LaCrosse District, Wisconsin; and Savanna District, Illinois), Swan Lake and Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuges, Missouri; Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge (which includes offices in Quincy, Illinois, the Brussels District, Illinois, the Wapello District, Iowa, and the Annada District, Missouri) and much of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, in the Twin Cities.
Fish hatcheries affected by the flooding, but open to the public, include the Genoa and Iron River Fish Hatcheries, in Wisconsin, and the Neosho Fish Hatchery, in Missouri.
Marler explained that flooding is usually an important part of most floodplain plant communities. It enriches areas with nutrients, adds to habitat diversity by opening up solid forest stands, and sets back brush encroaching on wet meadows. However, flooding of this magnitude and duration will have many negative effects. These include loss of nests and young, destruction of aquatic weed beds by silt and scouring, reintroduction of carp into managed impoundments, heavy silt loads in wetlands and loss of dikes and water control structures protecting thousands of acres of prime fish and wildlife habitat.
Some wildlife dispersal may occur as animals are carried to other areas by the flood, or forced to move. Examples of wildlife affected include deer, squirrels, turkeys, beavers, muskrats, neotropical birds such as yellow warblers and black terns, and amphibians such as turtles, frogs, toads and salamanders.
Visitors making plans to visit a refuge or hatchery should call first to see if the site is open to the public. The following is the latest status of closed or partially closed facilities:
Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge: Winona District (507) 454-7351, McGregor District (319) 873-3423, LaCrosse District (608) 784-3910, Savanna District (815) 273-2732 -- Closed to the public, with many of the refuges man-made physical features under water and continuing rains. All 28 boat landings will need rehabilitation, including new gravel or blacktop, launch ramps, dredging of boat channels, new signs, kiosks, interpretive panels, landscaping and debris removal.
Structures built for the Weaver Bottoms Rehabilitation Project have received considerable damage. One sustained heavy erosion on more than half of its shoreline. Before the high water and winds came, beaches were 3- to 4-feet wide, but they are now 10- to 15-feet wide. The main closing structure was topped and appears to have heavy damage since floods struck before planned stabilization to the structure this summer.
The Savanna Districts Spring Lake levee, rebuilt two years ago with 100,000 cubic yards of fill, has been breached. The fill is now in Spring Lake. A 1.3 mile cross dike is also underwater, with damages unknown until waters recede. The Green levee was breached and on the Brown Lake silt from the flood is filling the multi-million dollar project site.
Many refuge beach areas, constructed of sand during channel maintenance dredging, might be unusable because of severe erosion along the main channel, or the deposit of silt and debris. Public boating on the refuge has been nearly non-existent this summer, because of treacherous currents, floating debris, flooded boat ramps and regulated closures of portions of the river by the U.S. Coast Guard.
In wildlife concerns, biologists believe that earlier spring flooding, coupled with this major flood, may have led great blue herons and egrets to abandon some of their nesting colonies in the McGregor and Savanna Districts. With feeding areas flooded, their foraging is difficult and aquatic plant beds, so vital to migrating waterfowl, may have been destroyed. As with property damage, wildlife impacts wont be known until waters recede.
Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge (816) 865-3323 -- The refuge is closed to the public. Ninety-five percent of refuge crops and 2,000 acres of moist soil plants were destroyed, as flooding caused major damage to dikes, roads, and water control structures from the flooded Grand River and smaller area streams. Refuge headquarters, including a government residence, is accessible only by boat.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (816) 442-3187 -- Water is covering the majority of the refuge, which is closed to the public. The refuge sustained considerable damage to dikes, roads, bridges and water control structures. Due to large breaks in the Davis and Squaw Creek levees, just north of the refuge, flooding has spread across a two-mile road/levee. Impoundments are taking on a major silt load, and the Squaw Creek spillway has accumulated approximately two feet of silt. All refuge crops have been damaged either by water or silt. Large herds of deer are now feeding on croplands off of the refuge.
Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge (217) 224-8580; Brussels District (618) 883-2524; Wapello District (319) 523-6982; Annada District (314) 847-2333 -- 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." 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. 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.
Louisa 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.
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (612) 335-2323 -- Parts of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge are closed to the public due to the flooding, and trails, bridges and observation areas are under water. The Visitor Center, located less than a mile from the Mall of America, at 3815 East 80th Street, Bloomington, remains open. Other open areas include parts of the Bass Ponds, 86th and Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington; and the northern end of the Louisville Swamp Unit, four miles south of Shakopee, along Highway 169.
Most of the damage is related to providing public access to this natural area. Such things as trail heads, signs, hiking trails and overlooks will be damaged.
Genoa National Fish Hatchery (608) 689-2605 -- The hatchery is open to the public. Located at the confluence of the Bad Axe and Mississippi Rivers, the fish production ponds and raceways have been flooded by high water flowing into the ponds through drains. Dikes separating the ponds have been topped allowing fish such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye and striped bass to intermix in the production ponds. Roads, dikes, and water control structures have flooded.
Iron River National Fish Hatchery (715) 372-8510 -- The hatchery is open to the public. With a 5-inch deluge of rain in two hours, the lower intakes on Schacte Creek and the fish barrier were inundated. Water also flowed four feet over the gravel road to the upper intake. As this water recedes, the road will likely wash out, as will the soil around the ends of the lower intake. Rebuilding of access roads and stabilization of the lower intake with rip-rap will be required. No fish problems noted.
Neosho National Fish Hatchery (417) 451-0554 -- The area recently sustained about a 5-inch rain in two hours. The main drainage channel through the station overflowed and cause small washouts. Significant damage occurred to both sides of a small access bridge owned by the government. Portions of the access road on either side will have to be built up and require rip-rap to stabilize the area. No fish problems to report.
Higher than normal flows this season have resulted in cancellation of one chemical application to kill sea lampreys by the Marquette and Ludington Biological Stations. Applications of chemicals are 26 percent higher than normal to compensate for the greater volumes of water. The increased use reduces chemicals available for the limited 1994 treatment season.
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
