The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge has scheduled additional public workshops in Onalaska, Wis. and Dubuque, Iowa to receive input on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan according to Refuge Manager Don Hultman.
The Onalaska workshop will be held Thursday, June 30 at the Onalaska Middle School, 711 Quincy St., Onalaska, and the Dubuque workshop will be held Thursday, July 21 at the Holiday Inn, 450 Main St., Dubuque, Iowa. All workshops begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.
Hultman said public interest led to the additional workshops. He said workshops held to date have been attended by 70 to 100 people. The Onalaska workshop marks the second workshop scheduled for the greater La Crosse area where interest in the draft plan remains high. The first Onalaska workshop is being held June 23, also at the middle school.
“ We are getting excellent feedback and suggestions at the workshops,” Hultman said. He said many of the groups in the workshops are offering pool-specific suggestions and alternatives to what is in the draft plan. Recommendations being made by groups at the workshops are posted by location and date on the refuge’s planning homepage at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/uppermiss/.
Persons interested in attending these additional workshops or previously scheduled workshops are asked to register at least 3 days ahead of time so that staff can ensure enough space and materials.
Persons can register by leaving a message with their name, phone number, and workshop choice at 1-888-291-5719, (507) 452-4232, or by sending an e-mail to lee_donahue@fws.gov.
With more than 3 million visitors per year, the “Upper Miss” Refuge is the most visited refuge in the country and has the added complexity of a major navigation system, including 11 locks and dams within its boundary. It is also a world-class fish and wildlife area which harbors 306 species of birds; 119 species of fish; more than 130 active bald eagle nests; thousands of heron and egret nests; spectacular concentrations of canvasback ducks, tundra swans, and white pelicans; and several threatened or endangered species.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 545 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.
Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge on the web:
