What We Do
The Upper Mississippi River is a multiple use river: a waterway for shipping grain and other commodities; a popular recreation area for hunting, fishing and boating; and an important habitat corridor for hundreds of species of wildlife and fish. Management of the river is geared toward balancing these purposes and requires partnerships between agencies and groups whose interests might seem to conflict in the beginning.
The Mark Twain Complex headquarters focuses on partnerships and interagency coordination to enhance fish and wildlife habitat on the entire Upper Mississippi River. Partners include other Fish and Wildlife Service offices; the Corps of Engineers; the states of Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin; non-governmental organizations; and private landowners.
For example, about 173,000 acres of land purchased by the Corps of Engineers for the navigation project are now managed for fish and wildlife benefits by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.
The 
Environmental Management Program is another partnership effort authorized by Congress in 1986 to restore, protect, and monitor the natural resources of the Upper Mississippi River System. Under the EMP, interagency teams develop, prioritize, and implement habitat enhancement projects throughout the river corridor. From 1988 to 2004, almost 45 habitat projects were completed, affecting over 65,000 acres of river and floodplain habitat.
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