Friends of the Upper Mississippi

 Please contact your senator and representative and let them know how important funding is for the agencies that protect and preserve our precious Upper Miss.  Use any or all of the following letter by cut and paste plus any of your own words and send to your lawmakers before the final budget decisions on Sept 30.  Their contacts are included so it’s an important and easy task that will benefit you and future generations.  Thanks.

Al Brinkman-President

Friends of the Upper Mississippi

To (lawmaker)

On Monday, August 4, a press conference was held at the Black River Beach House in La Crosse, WI. This meeting was called by citizens concerned about the Mississippi River. Our area will be greatly affected by any cuts to the agencies that have, for years, researched and protected our rivers. You need to vote to continue the work that these agencies are doing.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Upper Mississippi Environmental Science Center, just to name two agencies, have been doing research for decades to protect our river from invasives. Recently Asian carp were found in the Root River. These agencies are looking for ways to eradicate these fish. Economically speaking, what will happen to the fishing and boating industries in our area if our native fish are overtaken by  these invasives?  Bass tournaments and recreational or commercial fishing will be permanently harmed. There aren’t other organizations that have the knowledge, the expertise, the facilities to be able to do the work that these federal and the state agencies are doing right now. Cutting funding or reducing staff in these agencies would severely impact the Mississippi River as we know it today.

The Mississippi River has a huge impact on our district both financially and through its beauty and recreation potential. The Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge has more visitors per year than Yellowstone National Park.   Think of the businesses that will close without these tourists. The bottom line is federal funding. We need the federal funding to support the Mississippi River economy.

It was standing room only at the Sustain our River Press conference.   People from all walks of life and locations up and down the river were there, some even from the Twin Cities. 28 members of Congress represent districts bordering the Mississippi River. Senator Baldwin of Wisconsin sent a representative; Brad Paff of Wisconsin attended and spoke. No other WI or MN legislator attended.

So:    I urge you to vote for our River. Vote for financial stability in our area. Vote for a refuge that was established by Congress more than 100 years ago. Vote to continue serving the area you were elected to protect.  The Fiscal Year ends on September 30 and I am urging you to vote to continue funding for the agencies that serve the Mississippi River—–your State and district!

Sincerely: (your name)

Brad Finstad-Mn 1st District– https://finstad.house.gov/contact

Derrick Van Orden-WI 3rd district–    https://vanorden.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact

Senator Tina Smith-MN     https://www.smith.senate.gov/share-your-opinion/

Senator Amy Klobuchar- MN      https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-amy

Senator Ron Johnson- WI      https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/email-the-senator

Senator Tammy Baldwin-WI     https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact/contact-tammy

Genoa National Fish Hatchery raises tens of thousands of Lake Sturgeon every year for restoration efforts across the country. We currently raise Lake Sturgeon from the Wolf River, Sturgeon River, Rainy River, St. Clair River, and St. Lawrence River. These fish are stocked in Tennessee, Minnesota, Ohio, and New York. All egg collections were successful and have produced fry. These fry feed on a yolk sac for ~14 days and once that is used up they are given brine shrimp (Artemia) as a food source. They will continue to eat brine shrimp for ~4 weeks then they are then fed bloodworms (Chironomidae) for ~8 weeks and finally krill (Euphausiidae) for ~6 weeks. Beginning in mid-August Lake Sturgeon will be tagged using coded wire tags while others are tagged with PIT tags and a few with acoustic tags. This is done with help from federal, state, and tribal partners along with many volunteers that all speed countless hours tagging these fish. Once that is complete the Lake Sturgeon will be ready to head to their new homes in the wild to produce the next generation.

By: Jadon Motquin

Photo: Photo: About 40 blue circular tanks inside a building and small fish in a tank. Photo credit: USFWS.

We had a wonderful time at our 11th Annual Lions District 27 – D2 “Fishability” event which took place Saturday, June 14th at Genoa National Fish Hatchery. Participants explored the Great River Road Interpretive Center and then were able to fish from an accessible dock donated by Dairyland Power Cooperative, as well as from the shores of an accessible hatchery pond. Thank you so much to all of our Genoa National Fish Hatchery staff, the Friends of the Upper Mississippi, District 27-D2 Lions Clubs of Wisconsin, North American Squirrel Association (NASA), Stoddard Bergen Fire Department EMT and volunteers. This event couldn’t happen without everyone’s help! Thank you!

By: Erica Rasmussen

Photo: Children that participated in the Fishability event, kids fishing and holding up the fish they caught. Photo credit: USFWS.

We had a fantastic turnout at our Kids Fishing Day on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery! With over 400 attendees, this event was a memorable experience for many, especially for the kids who caught their first fish!
This year, we introduced exciting new learning stations around the hatchery grounds, where children collected stamps for their passports as they explored. The stations included: Great River Road Interpretive Center, Furs and Skulls, Knot Tying, Nature Hike, State and Federal Wardens, Fish Painting, Water Safety and Touch Tank: Interact with a live Lake Sturgeon.
After completing the stations, the kids had the chance to fish in a hatchery pond stocked with Rainbow Trout. Their smiles truly captured the joy of the day!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this event possible: the dedicated staff at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Friends of the Upper Mississippi, Roch Kendrick Foundation, Friends of Pool 9, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Offices, our incredible volunteers, and the supportive community. This event wouldn’t have been a success without your help! We look forward to seeing everyone again next year for more fun and learning! Thank you!

By: Erica Rasmussen Photos:

A mussel biologist showing mussels to families

Sustain our River will host a Press Conference on August 4, 2025 at the Black River Beach House at 1145 AM. Our goal is to draw awareness and facilitate discussion on the value of the Mississippi River and the federal and state agencies whose work supports the sustainability of this natural resource.

We are part of the vast web of businesses, residents, and field experts who value: the health of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes; the economic impact of recreational and commercial fisheries; and the Mississippi River navigation channel administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

We recognize the critical importance of dedicating funding to control: invasive species, sediment and erosion, and improve water quality, nutrient reduction and habitat restoration.

The Sea Lamprey pharmaceutical (lampricide) was developed by researchers at USGS (UMESC) Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center on French Island in Wisconsin.

The program is administered through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and control activities are executed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Controlling sea lamprey populations led to extensive recovery of the Great Lakes commercial fishery. The program boasts an exceptional return on investment and protects an annual fishery valued at nearly $7 billion including 75,000 jobs.

USGS continues protecting waterways by developing and implementing controls for invasive carp, recently found near the mouth of the Root River flowing into the Mississippi River migrating upwards to French Island.

These carp (up to 20 pounds) respond to water agitation by jumping out of the water as high as ten feet. Without dedicated controls the physical impact to boaters, skiers, even kids tubing behind boats will be devastating. The invasive carp are voracious eaters and quickly out-compete (and outgrow) native fish compromising the millions of dollars generated by recreational fishing and fishing tournaments in the Mississippi River.

Funding is imperative to uphold the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program including the Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Program (HREP) and Long-Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) both imperative to maintaining river health which supports our economic stability.

Imminent threats to our waterways are real. Investing in the Mighty Mississippi, Great Lakes and other waterways throughout our region and nationwide, is crucial to Sustain our River for the next hundred years.