Forest Evaluation and Prescription for the Benefit of Migratory Birds

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) extends 261 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, traversing the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. The Refuge contains 241,000 acres of land of which approximately 66,000 acres are forested. The Refuge also participates in the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program which assists private landowners in counties adjacent to the Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, for the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of fish and wildlife species and their habitat (16 U.S.C. 661 and 742 et seq.), Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, 87 Stat. 884), Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978, as amended (16 U.S.C. 753) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 16 U.S. C. 709a authorizes financial and technical assistance to other federal agencies, states, local governments, tribes, non-governmental organizations, citizen groups and land owners on the conservation and management of fish and wildlife resources. The objective of this Cooperative Agreement is to provide a person trained in forestry techniques to evaluate forest systems, write forest prescriptions and implement forestry methods for the benefit of wildlife, primarily migratory birds, on both Refuge and private lands.