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This year marks a major milestone, not just along the Mississippi but for conservation efforts across the United States. In June, the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In this episode, I talk with Sabrina Chandler, Refuge Manager and Hallie Shulz, Visitor Services Manager about the past, present and future of the refuge. We talk about the early years, about the tasks the early managers faced to establish the refuge. We also talk about how the refuge’s conservation mission and public use have changed over time. We praise the thousands of volunteers, many organized as part of one of the Friends groups, who help care for these precious public lands. The refuge has been a success by nearly any measure, but they still face significant threats, particularly from climate change and invasive species. Still, this is a year to celebrate, so we finish by highlighting a few of the events happening this summer to mark the refuge’s centennial. 

In the Mississippi Minute, I give a shout out to many other federal refuges that protect land and water along the Mississippi River.