Two Winona youth try their hand at kayaking on the Winona District of the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. July 21, 2008, photo by Ann Runstrom

The community neighbors one of the most visited National Wildlife and Fish Refuges in the entire Refuge system.  Yet Winona, Minn., youth who congregate less than two blocks from the mighty river that forms this refuge, have never been on its natural shore, dipped a paddle or cast a line in its waters.  A humble fishery biologist from the La Crosse NFWCO hoped to change that.   After speaking with the director of Rock Solid Youth Center, hope began changing to reality.  Rock Solid reaches out to at-risk youth to provide them with constructive activities and positive role modeling.  The staff at Rock Solid were delighted to offer the youth an outdoor activity that brought their youth in touch with the natural world around them.  Staff from nearby Winona District and Headquarters of the Upper Mississippi National Fish and Wildlife Refuge , members of a nearby church, and the owner of Wenonah Canoe company were all contacted to see what they might be able to provide to make this a reality.  Hope became reality on May 14 and July 21, 2008.  The result was two beautiful summer afternoons of paddling canoes and kayaks on the refuge followed by a tasty meal of hotdogs.  The weather was delightful, the company unique, and the Refuge, as always, a place of peace and sanctuary for human souls and wildlife alike.