Contact

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Programs & Project Management

332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

(651) 290-5755

cemvp-pm@usace.army.mil

Mississippi River Recreation and Environmental Stewardship

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
Published April 21, 2025
Updated: April 21, 2025
St. Paul District forester Bobby Jackson installs a sign on Lock and Dam 3 mitigation property near Maiden Rock, Wis. The recent construction of navigation improvements on the embankments at Lock and Dam #3, resulted in the loss of vital environmental features in the floodplain. As part of our efforts to mitigate these impacts, the St. Paul District purchased 520 acres along the Rush and Trimbelle Rivers in Pierce Co., Wis., restoring 313 of those acres back to native floodplain forest. This isn’t unique to the district. Read more about another reforestation project on a Mississippi River island near Red Wing, Minn.: 
http://go.usa.gov/WB3W

St. Paul District forester Bobby Jackson installs a sign on Lock and Dam 3 mitigation property near Maiden Rock, Wis. The recent construction of navigation improvements on the embankments at Lock and Dam #3, resulted in the loss of vital environmental features in the floodplain. As part of our efforts to mitigate these impacts, the St. Paul District purchased 520 acres along the Rush and Trimbelle Rivers in Pierce Co., Wis., restoring 313 of those acres back to native floodplain forest. This isn’t unique to the district. Read more about another reforestation project on a Mississippi River island near Red Wing, Minn.: http://go.usa.gov/WB3W

Purpose

Although navigation was the initial purpose of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project, Congress has since authorized the development of recreational facilities, protection of forest resources, and required the consideration of fish and wildlife conservation.

Location

The project spans from Minneapolis, Minnesota (river mile 854.0), to just below Guttenberg, Iowa (river mile 614.0).

Description

The Mississippi River recreation and environmental stewardship functions are headquartered in La Crescent, Minnesota. The organization includes Blackhawk Park, a recreation area 30 miles south of La Crescent, with overnight camping, day-use areas and boat launching facilities. Operation and maintenance of three additional boat access locations at Bad Axe, Millstone, and Jay’s Lake landings are also administered by this organization.

A progressive forestry/wildlife program is actively managed under an existing memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approximately 25,000 acres held in federal ownership in the project area. Much of this area makes up the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Shoreline and real estate management programs provide recreation and other public access to project lands and waters.

Status

Funding in fiscal year 2025 supports historical operation and maintenance activities on the Mississippi River. This includes water level management coordination, land/habitat management, endangered species mitigation, boundary resurveying and monumentation, real estate management including encroachment resolution and shoreline management permits, operation of developed recreation areas, and cultural resource protection. Funds in the amount of $950,000 were received to conduct shoreline stabilization along culturally sensitive shorelines at Blackhawk Park, and construction is scheduled for 2025. The environmental stewardship program continues to actively support Navigation And Ecosystem Sustainability Program initiatives within the Upper Mississippi River region.

Authority

The Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project is authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1930 and Public Laws 78-534, 69-560, 92-500, 71-520, 85-624 and 89-72.

Funding

Fiscal year 2024                                         $3,019,500

Fiscal year 2025
Allocation                                                    $2,242,350

Fiscal year 2026
Full budget request                                   $5,681,000