Watch the Mississippi Flyway Cam on Lake Onalaska in the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Tap on the title of each activity to get the details and find out more. Contact the lead if you are interested in working on a particular project.

  • Start: January 2026 (earlier project planning)

    Chapter Approval: November 20, 2025 (approval by Board vote)

    End: December 2026

    Lead person: Fritz Funk

    Description: Support UW-L Recreation Management class in developing QR code based environmental interpretation materials for Hintgen Island. Support includes student transportation, teaching and mentorship.

    Annual budget: One time project. 15% match share of Chapter funds ($441 estimated but limited to no more than $1,000) for $2,500 Wisconsin Division IWLA Hallstrom Grant.

    Product/Outcome: Grant Report to Wisconsin Division; QR Code signs placed on Hintgen linking to website version of student materials.


  • Start June 1, 2026

    Approved April 2026

    Ends Ongoing

    Lead Brett Welch

    Description Chapter volunteers’ staff four-hour shifts at public boat landings on both sides of

    Pools 7 and 8 to collect fish catch and harvest information, along with general river-use data.

    This effort supports long-term understanding of angler activity and recreational patterns on the

    Upper Mississippi River.

    Budget None

    Outcome Still to be determined

  • Start: October 2025

    Chapter Approval: Uncertain

    End: Ongoing

    Lead person: Barry Drazkowski and Fritz Funk

    Description: For decades, the direction of river management—the debate over which ecological

    needs

    should be prioritized and where specific infrastructure projects should be situated—has been

    the near-exclusive domain of Federal and State agencies. While non-governmental

    organizations (NGOs) such as the Izaak Walton League (Ikes), One Mississippi (OM), Audubon,

    and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have remained active participants, their roles have often

    been limited to commenting during agency meetings or providing targeted funding for niche

    workshops. This top-down structure has unfortunately silenced the average river citizen. During

    the 1970s, programs like the Master Plan and the Great River Environmental Action Team

    (GREAT) studies fostered significant public involvement. However, following the implementation

    of major federal programs like the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) and the

    Navigation and Environmental Sustainability Program (NESP), a sense of complacency took

    root. Many in the public and the NGO community believed the government had finally

    responded and the river was on a permanent healing trajectory. In hindsight, that optimism was

    naive.

    The reality is stark: the river continues to lose critical habitat at a rate of approximately 3%

    annually, according to the Long Term Monitoring Program (LTRMP). Agency officials themselves

    admit they have struggled to facilitate effective public education and meaningful involvement in

    management decisions. Recognizing this vacuum, the NGO community has mobilized over the

    past year to spearhead a new movement for public engagement. Following a successful series

    of workshops hosted by Audubon and One Mississippi in late 2025, the Ikes have proposed a

    formal, multi-tiered NGO collaboration designed to re-empower the river citizens.

    This new strategy is divided into four distinct tiers. The first provides direct field-level

    support—utilizing chapters, river citizens, and "friends" groups to conduct surveys, observations,

    and logistics that have been abandoned due to government budget cuts. The second tier

    involves formal workshops designed to explain complex river functions and solicit direct public

    input. The third tier focuses on "river rats"—the fishers, hunters, and paddlers who possess

    deep, multi-generational cultural ties to the water. Finally, the fourth tier involves creating a

    comprehensive information package that explains the river's history, ecology, and the impacts of

    climate change. This collaboration represents the first steps toward a more democratic and

    ecologically sound future for our river systems. Stay tuned as we follow this developing

    process.

    Annual budget: none anticipated

    Product/Outcome: At the chapter scale support projects like Hintgen Island, the secretive marsh

    nesting birds, and Osprey watch will continue to develop. Hopefully, other chapters and

    conservation groups will develop similar support projects. This initiative is also developing a

    collaborative multi NGO support project focused on public involvement and creating a

    knowledge center to fuel the public involvement program. The goal is to create an informed

    UMR public engaged in the democratic process of river management.

  • Start: August 2025

    Chapter Approval: September 2025

    End: Ongoing

    Lead person: John Sullivan

    Description: The goal of this activity is to document osprey nesting activity along the Upper

    Mississippi River Pools 4 to 9 following protocols established by the Osprey Watch program

    website created by the Center for Conservation Biology at Williams and Mary University. We will

    work with the Wapasha and Will Dilg chapters in engaging the IWL members, the public, state and

    federal resource agency staff and other environmental organizations to help accomplish this

    monitoring activity.

    Annual budget: none anticipated

    Product/Outcome: An annual report describing program participation and a summary of osprey

    nesting observations.