Fishery Biologist Louise Mauldin, LaCrosse FRO, made a poster presentation at the International Large Rivers Conference, at the LaCrosse Center, Wisconsin, June 26-30. 

She provided an overview of the Midwest Driftless Area Restoration Effort (MDARE), a fish habitat partnership supporting the National Fish Habitat Initiative.  Mauldin met with river biologists, scientists, and river managers about the partnership's effort to coordinate actions in restoring and enhancing riparian and aquatic habitat in the Upper Mississippi River watersheds of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. 

The partnership includes Trout Unlimited; Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois Departments of Natural Resources; USFWS, USGS, other federal agencies, conservation and angling organizations, academic institutions, and local groups.  

MDARE partners will be working throughout the 24,000-square mile unglaciated region to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to coldwater/coolwater streams and rivers, enhance sportfish populations, federal/state species of concern populations, and to increase local awareness of the importance of Driftless Area aquatic resources.