The U P P E R M I S S I S S I P P I
RIVER
The Upper Mississippi River Ecosystem Initiative addresses the large land area that eventually drains
into the Mississippi River. The river and its tributaries provide a major
migratory corridor for the Mississippi Flyway, which funnels
NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN
more waterfowl to the wintering grounds than all other
flyways. Habitat restoration and protection programs in the
ROCK RIVER
upper reaches of the watershed will significantly impact
waterfowl habitat, as well as improve water quality in the
Mississippi River, and address the hypoxia problem in the
Gulf of Mexico.
PRIORITY AREAS
OHIO/MISSISSIPPI
CONFLUENCE
C O N S E R VAT I O N
ROCK RIVER
UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER
C O N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N
B OB HOFFMAN
Director
[email protected] | 734.623.2000
ILLINOIS
RIVER
DAVE BRAKHAGE
Director of Conservation Programs, Great Lakes
OHIO
RIVERS
Through science-based strategic planning, the
GLARO has defined landscape initiative areas based on large-scale watersheds. This allows us to address waterfowl and
wildlife habitat issues, as well as water quality concerns that are important to this region. Within initiatives, we have
defined priority areas in which to target our restoration activities.
[email protected] | 734.623.2000
For more information on how you can
support Ducks Unlimited, please contact:
TODD BISHOP
Director of Development; IL, MI, WI
[email protected] | 734.623.2000
The four ecosystem initiatives of the Great Lakes /Atlantic Regional Office include:
G R E AT L A K E S E C O S Y S T E M I N I T I AT I V E
U P P E R M I S S I S S I P P I R I V E R E C O S Y S T E M I N I T I AT I V E
C H E S A P E A K E B AY E C O S Y S T E M I N I T I AT I V E
AT L A N T I C C O A S T E C O S Y S T E M I N I T I AT I V E
GREAT LAK ES/ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE
1220 Eisenhower Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734.623.2000
www.ducks.org
G R E AT L A K E S / AT L A N T I C R E G I O N A L O F F I C E
LEADER IN WETLANDS CONSERVATION
I M P L E M E N TA T I O N S T R A T E G Y F O R T H E
ROCK RIVER PRIORITY AREA
2,859 acres per year (14,295 over a 5-year period)
Estimated 5-year cost = $2,621,471
GLARO
The Rock River watershed originates in Horicon
C O N S E R VA T I O N W O R K
The GREAT LAKES /ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE
Marsh, Wisconsin, and joins the Mississippi at
Ducks Unlimited has been developing opportunities for
conservation work within this priority area. Along the
Mississippi River, restoration and protection opportunities likely exist for migration habitat, mostly inside
protective levees. In the upper reaches of the watershed
in Boone, DeKalb and McHenry counties in Illinois,
opportunities for restoration of breeding habitat are
possible, but not yet developed. Additional background
work is needed to develop a program specific to the
priority area needs for waterfowl.
RO C K R I V E R
Rock Island. Land use in the majority of the
watershed is either livestock operations or crop
production. These activities negatively affect the
water quality of rivers, streams and lakes in the
watershed. Approximately 90 percent of the wetlands in the Illinois portion of this watershed
GREAT LAKES/ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE
delivers conservation programs in 18 states
C O N S E R VAT I O N
focused on breeding, migrating and wintering
waterfowl. Challenges include continued wetland
loss, declining waterfowl populations, increasing
urban sprawl, population growth and declining
water and air quality.
To be as efficient and effective as possible, the
GLARO focuses its limited resources to areas that
are most important to meeting the needs of waterfowl. Priority areas were determined by breeding
have been ditched, drained or altered.
and wintering/staging waterfowl use. These areas
are viewed as critical to supporting the annual life
WAT E R F O W L B E N E F I T S
cycle needs of waterfowl in this region.
This priority area includes an important reach of the
Mississippi River from Whiteside County south to the
confluence of the Illinois River, in which locks and dams
create “pools” and important wetland habitat along
their shallow margins and backwater lakes.
ROCK RIVER
Historically, the area between Burlington, Iowa and
Keokuk, Illinois served as an important migration site for
lesser scaup, canvasbacks and other diving ducks.
Al & Elaine Wilson
UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER ECOSYSTEM INITIATIVE
L E S S E R S C AU P
Historically, this area served as an important migration site for
lesser scaup, canvasbacks and other diving ducks.