Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge gains and losses

by Steve Mullis, Minnesota Public Radio

The Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge turns 85 this month. The refuge was established in 1924 and stretches 300 miles from Wabasha to Rock Island, Illinois. Throughout its storied past the wetlands have ebbed and flowed from a glorious home for wildlife to a virtual dead zone, and back again. Click on the dots below to learn about some of the positive and negative issues affecting the refuge.