The 2,532-acre Wilkinson Island Division is the southernmost unit of Middle Mississippi River NWR. This area is about 37 miles north of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and lies between River Mile 88.5 and 93 in Jackson County, Illinois and Perry County, Missouri. Wilkinson Island was protected by a levee that was breached during the 1993 flood and has not been repaired. There is one private landowner between refuge lands and the river. A few residual side channels and wetlands remain throughout the area, but opportunities for restoration are limited by the desire to avoid affecting private land. Future management strategies include planting hard mast trees on higher elevations and investigating the feasibility of reconnecting the remnant side channel to the River.
Hunting and fishing are allowed in accordance with state regulations. The Missouri/Illinois state line runs through the Division, but is not delineated on the ground. No parking lots, kiosks or informational panels are currently available for visitors.
" Potato Bend" is a part of the Wilkinson Island Division
Regulations
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