Upper Mississippi Floodplain Becomes Wetland of International Importance

The designation includes about 470 square miles of federal and state lands and waters of the Upper Mississippi River floodplain from near Wabasha, Minnesota to north of Rock Island, Illinois.

It includes all of the 375 square mile Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge headquartered in Winona, Minnesota and the adjacent 10 square mile Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin.

In making the announcement, Secretary Salazar said, "The ecological, social, and economic values of the Upper Mississippi River make it one of the crown jewels of this nation's wetlands.

"This marks the 27th U.S. wetland designated under the Convention on Wetlands," said the secretary. "It’s certainly fitting that this area has now officially received international recognition."

The designation proposal was endorsed by the Departments of Natural Resources of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and seven members of Congress from the respective states.

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Photo courtesy USFWS)

With the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the designation package now goes to the Ramsar Secretariat located in Gland, Switzerland, for technical review and formal addition to the international list of wetlands which now numbers more than 1,600 sites. Formal Ramsar designation is expected early in 2010.

Other designated sites in the United States include the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia and Florida, Everglades National Park in Florida, and Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin.

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

There are presently 159 governments participating in the Convention, with 1,847 wetland sites, totaling 181 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

Don Hultman, refuge manager of the Upper Mississippi River refuge, called the upper reach of the Mississippi River "an ecological treasure."

He said designation of the Upper Mississippi River floodplain is aimed at strengthening public awareness and appreciation of the role wetlands play in sustaining environmental health, economic enterprise, and recreational well-being.

The refuge and surrounding public lands in the site support more than 200 nesting pairs of bald eagles, 120 species of fish, 42 species of mussels, and provide migration habitat for up to 50 percent of the world’s population of canvasback ducks, Hultman said.

He said the site also serves as a major navigation highway for commerce and provides millions of citizens abundant hunting, fishing, and other recreational opportunities.

Hultman said a Wetland of International Importance designation has no effect on current jurisdiction, authorities, or management responsibility of federal, state, or local governments that partner on management of the river. He stressed that designation does not affect current river uses.

"All commercial and recreational uses currently allowed or allowed in the future are not affected. Designation does not dictate land and water use of any kind," Hultman said.

The creation of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge resulted from the efforts of Will Dilg, founder and leader of the nonprofit Izaak Walton League.

Dilg, a Chicago advertising executive, formed the Izaak Walton League in 1922. For nearly two decades, Dilg had spent his summers fishing and enjoying the Upper Mississippi River. In the summer of 1923, he learned of a plan to drain a large portion of the river backwaters and came up with an ambitious alternative to the drainage scheme - turn the entire stretch of river into a federal refuge. One year later, Dilg succeeded in persuding Congress to pass the Upper Mississippi River Wild Life and Fish Refuge Act on June 7, 1924.

Click here for more information on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

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