The Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge IBA follows the purchase boundaries of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Figure 1) from the Minnesota-Iowa border at river mile 674 upstream along the Mississippi River to Reads Landing, MN (river mile 763.5) (Figure 2). The IBA includes Pools 4, 5, 5a, 6, 7, 8, and part of 9 (in refuge Districts Winona, La Crosse and McGregor) (Figures 3 – 9). It is accessible by U.S. Hwy 61 which runs along its length. Bordered by numerous towns including LaCrescent, Winona, and Wabasha as well as private and state lands, the refuge is subject to a multitude of influences and threats. The Upper Mississippi NWR is the longest NWR in the lower 48 states. It extends 261 miles along the Mississippi River from the Chippewa River in Wisconsin to nearly Rock Island, Illinois (Fig. 1). Habitat types include bottomland hardwood forest, river, open pools, cliff, and backwater habitats. The Refuge was established in 1924 to protect bottomland habitat for migratory birds and fish. The 242,400-acre refuge lies within Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois and is divided into four management districts. With an estimated 3.7 million annual visitors, it is the most heavily visited Refuge in the System. It has interface with 4 states, 70 communities, 2 Corps of Engineers districts, 11 locks and dams which help maintain water depths for commercial navigation, and is represented in Congress by 8 senators and 6 representatives. The Upper Mississippi Valley provides habitat for 305 species of birds, 57 species of mammals, 45 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 134 species of fish. Major furbearers along the Mississippi River include muskrat, mink, beaver, otter, raccoon, skunk, weasel and fox. Other mammals include gray and fox squirrels, cottontails, jackrabbits and white-tailed deer which are abundant in the timbered areas.

This Important Bird Area is an important site for migrating waterfowl, particularly Canvasbacks and Tundra Swans as well as nesting waterbirds, and breeding and wintering Bald Eagles. It has been estimated that up to 40% of the nations waterfowl and shorebirds use the river valley during spring and fall migration. Nineteen species of waterfowl have been recorded during fall migration on the Upper Mississippi River NWR. Among the most notable fall concentrations are those of Canvasbacks, representing up to 50% of the continental population, and Tundra Swans with an estimated 20% of the eastern North American population. Tundra Swans (daily totals over 20,000 in pools 4-9) are a popular attraction for many bird watchers attracting viewers to towns along the river. Diving ducks such as Redheads, Buffleheads, and Ruddy Ducks gather in open water, while American Wigeon, Gadwall, teal and other puddle ducks are found in the shallow backwaters.

Fifteen to twenty waterbird nesting colonies are found on the refuge containing over 5,000 nests. On pools 4-8 the number of nesting Great Blue Herons ranged from 786 ¡V 1,306 pairs between 1999 - 2002.

The Mississippi River is one of the most important Bald Eagle wintering areas in North America. While the number of wintering eagles in Minnesota is not as high as portions of the river further south, the locks and dam system and wooded cliffs do provided excellent winter Bald Eagle habitat. Bald Eagle wintering numbers on this IBA vary both between, and within, years depending on weather and ice cover. Mid-wintercounts ranged from 321 in 2004 to 58 in 2005 between Winona and LaCrescent, as viewed from the Minnesota side of the river. Winter eagle roosts are located at Read¡¦s Landing and Whitman Dam.

The Upper Mississippi Valley NWR has recorded 305 species of birds, 133 of whichare known to breed. This includes 29 species of shorebirds and 33 species of warblers (10 breeding).