Taking Time to Stop for the Unexpected

En route to the bike trail in Brice Prairie I noticed a new building in the middle of a prairie setting. From afar its back side looked like a very fancy stable but upon closer inspection and the front of it, it was clear that its purpose was something else.

After pointing it out to Natureman, we came upon a sign that read :

Aha, I never knew we even had such a visitor center in the La Crosse area.  Natureman suggested a stop upon our return and so  we did. 

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge actually covers 261 river miles, over 240,000 acres and was established in 1924 covering 4 states  Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois as a refuge for wildlife, fish and plants and breeding grounds for migratory birds. It's also the largest flood plain blocks in the lower 48 states according to its website. This center services 2 of the river pools 7 & 8 from La Crosse, WI to Reno, MN. along the Mississippi River.

This gorgeous 'green' facility has a lot of windows to bring the out of doors in.  The building actually still has a new smell to it although the receptionist told me the building opened in 2012.  Inside the natural main room adorning the ceiling are impressive unique hanging nature themed stained glass light fixtures of a



dragonfly,
lizard and fish.

A little theater has a 10 minute presentation of the refuge in its 4 seasons. 

There are interactive displays of wildlife and their habitat, a River Walk exhibit where you see the fish life below your feet as you walk on glass (the water). Or you can see the migration routes of the different bird species.

The incredible wing spans of many of the refuge birds illustrates how large some of these species really are. 

Offices within the facility include the area district manager, administrative technician, wildlife and private lands biologists, visitor services manager and specialist, Federal wildlife officer, biological technician and maintenance mechanic.

I was super impressed by my visit to the restrooms where I found water conserving toilets. A full detailed explanation was in the stall to explain the motion sensors  describing from the amount of time a user is seated as to the required  flushing time. Heaven forbid someone brings reading material "in" with them. LOL.

Visitors can also walk 2 miles of paved gravel trails to see various seasonal prairie plants with many varieties of butterflies, bees and dragonflies. 

Monthly programming is available to various ages. Here's a link whether you are interested in bird watching/ prairie restoration/ whatever there's something for everybody.Programming

The desk personnel is super helpful re brochures /maps for canoeing, birdwatching, fishing, etc...
The Visitor Center is located at:

N5727 County Road Z, Onalaska, WI 54650.
If you type this address into Google Maps put a space in the address: N 5727 County Road Z. 

Summer hours are M-F  8:00 am - 3:30pm
                               Sat 10:00 am - 4:00pm

You won't be sorry you stopped in, we weren't... What an unexpected treasure.