U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Oil Spill Response Upper Mississippi River

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Oil Spill Response
Upper Mississippi River

Twin Cities, MN Ecological Services Field Office (612-725-3548) Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge http://www.fws.gov/midwest/UpperMississippiRiver/staff.html Headquarters: Winona, MN (507-452-6218) Winona District: Winona, MN (507-494-6229) LaCrosse District: Onalaska, WI (608-783-8401) McGregor District: McGregor, IA (563-873-3423 x12) Savanna District: Savanna, IL (815-273-2732 x11) Rock Island, IL Ecological Services Field Office (309-757-5800 x206) Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge (319-523-6982) Big Timber Division Louisa Division Keithsburg Division Great River National Wildlife Refuge (573-847-2333) Fox Island Division Long Island Division Delair Division Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (573-847-2333) Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (816-883-2524) Batchtown Division Portage Island Division Columbia, MO Ecological Services Field Office (573-234-2132) Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge (618-763-4420) Meissner Island Harlow Island Beaver Island Horse Island Crains Island Rockwood Island Wilkinson Island

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge was established prior to the construction of the Lock and Dam navigation system so if you are in the River between Navigation Pools 4 and 14 you are in the Refuge. The Refuges below Pool 15 were established after the construction of the Lock and Dam navigation system so most of the Refuge waters and lands, except for the islands, are in the floodplain.
The oil spill response by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on the Upper Mississippi River may include personnel from three separate Divisions of agency including the Division of Refuges, Division of Law Enforcement, and the Division of Ecological Services. The Division of Refuges is response for land and water management and biology in the Refuge units. The Division of Refuges has Refuge Law Enforcement Officers. Personnel from the Division of Refuges know the river the best, can help implement protection strategies for downstream sensitive resources at risk, and will task staff to shut down water intakes or close gates that pull water from the river for resource management. The Division of Law Enforcement has Special Agents that are responsible for enforcing the laws that protect migratory birds and endangered species. The Division of Ecological Services has biologists with expertise in endangered species consultation and oil spill response. The list of common roles and responsibilities for USFWS personnel within the context of Incident Command System (ICS) are outlined below. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/hottopics/ics/ICS_WDOE_v5.doc for descriptions of these positions within ICS. Other Divisions may get involved including Safety, External Affairs (public relations), Fisheries, Budget and Administration.
Personnel from the USFWS may or may not have the required Hazwhoper, SCAT, wildlife handling, or wildlife rehabilitation training certifications to be in contact with oil. There is a no respirator policy for USFWS personnel so air quality must be safe for the work zone. USFWS personnel may be of assistance to contract other agencies (e.g. USDA Wildlife Services) or commercial vendors (e.g. Tri State or International Bird Rescue) for the purpose of oiled wildlife capture or rehabilitation and ensuring proper wildlife permitting.

Planning Section - Environmental Unit Resources at Risk Specialist Resource Advisor Specialist Shoreline Assessment Specialist

Operations Section – Wildlife Branch Director, Deputy, Group Supervisor (Rescue, Rehab, Release, Morgue, Hazing) Task Force Leader within the Groups Resource Specialist

AREA and SUBAREA CONTINGENCY PLANS: http://www.rrt5.org/acp/body/Region5ACP-RCP_revMay2011.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/superfund/integrated_contingency_plan.htm

http://umrba.org/hazspills/umrplan.pdf

http://umrba.org/hazspills/twincitiesplan.pdf

http://umrba.org/hazspills/quadcitiesplan.pdf

http://umrba.org/hazspills/greaterstlouisplan.pdf
Great Rivers SubArea Plan coming soon