Come Celebrate Leopold as a Sportsman
On Saturday March 3, 2018
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will honor the life and work of conservationist and sportsman Aldo Leopold on Saturday, March 3rd, at the visitor center on Brice Prairie. This fun and educational event is free to the public.
10:00am -12:00pm – Hey Kids! Tell your parents environmental educators from WisCorps will be leading nature journaling and crafts in the visitor center, so stop on by!
10:00am – 11:00 am – Ethics in Hunting: A discussion led by Rick Kyte from Viterbo University – (Building on Steve Rinella’s talk on Thursday) Kyte will continue the discussion on hunting ethics with commentary on Aldo Leopold’s views and practices as
a hunter.
11:00am -12:00pm – Take a Walk Through the Prairie: Students from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) environmental literature classes will be guiding a walk through the prairie and stopping along the way to share readings from “A Sand County Almanac” as well as their own writings about experiencing nature.
Buy A Leopold Bench! The Friends of the Refuge – Mississippi River Pools 7 & 8 (FOR78) will have order forms available in the Visitor Center to purchase a bench kit based on Aldo Leopold’s famous design. Each kit comes with the materials needed to build a 4ft bench. Customers may also choose to have their bench assembled for them for an additional fee.
We hope to see you on Saturday to learn more about Aldo Leopold and why he has had such an impact on conservation work today.
For more information, contact the La Crosse District Office at (608) 779-2399 or visit http://www.fws.gov/refuge/upper_mississippi_river/. Regular visitor center hours are December – January: Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 3:30 pm and Saturdays – Closed. February – November: Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 3:30 pm and Saturdays 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Visitor Center will close at 12:00pm on the business day before the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Visitor Center is closed on federal holidays.
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the most visited refuge in the United States. The refuge extends 261 miles along the Upper Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minn. to Rock Island, Ill., protecting and preserving habitat for migratory birds, fish, and a variety of other wildlife.
In addition to being the most visited refuge in the country, the “Upper Miss” Refuge 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 300 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.