Its creation influenced modern environmental movements.
In the 1920s, lawmakers and developers proposed plans to drain wetlands across the Mississippi River, between Minnesota and Rock Island. In response, the Izaak Walton League, one of the first large conservation groups in the U.S., pressured Congress to protect that part of the river. This led to the creation of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
Scott Kovarovics, the executive director of the league, says one of the organization's founders, Will Dilg, had the idea to create a wildlife refuge along the river.
"Will Dilg was a big thinker, and he really looked at this and said, 'Well, if they're going to propose to drain all these wetlands along the river, why don't we propose a national fish and wildlife refuge that would cover and protect the habitat along the river in these states?' And this campaign that Will and the league led really transformed our organization to really a leader of the national grassroots conservation movement only two years later."
The Izaak Walton League traveled around the country, asking people to contact their representatives and used the media to pressure Congress.
"The league, maybe it didn't pioneer every one of those tactics, but it put them together for the first time on a very significant scale, and that's the formula that others used over the success of decades."
And, Kovarovics says you can still see the strategies the league used in the 1920s in the environmental movements of today.
"And if you fast forward to the modern era of environmental and conservation policy, I mean, you see a very similar pattern. Mass movements, the public pressure, the outrage among many Americans that really drove conservation and environmental policy. And so people demanded change, that's really what I think drove passage in the end."
Today, the Upper Mississippi River Refuge is a group separate from the league. But both organizations work to make sure that hikers, boaters, fishermen and more are able to enjoy the river.
"The Upper Mississippi could look more like the Lower Mississippi. Levees built right to the edge of the water, a couple of stories high, straightening it out, as you see in that lower part. And I think that's what you could see today if it wasn't for this effort."
And, the "outdoor recreationists" who lobbied Congress to establish the refuge also protected the local wildlife we see at the river today.
"If you look back to the 1920s, across the country, it was a rarity to see a white-tailed deer, or a turkey, a Canada goose. Driven to the brink of extinction. Today, those wildlife in most places are ubiquitous."
Still, Kovarovics says the river faces environmental challenges like climate change, soil erosion, invasive species, and rising water levels. But, he says people can help protect the Mississippi by picking up trash, using less driveway salt and opting for environmentally friendly fertilizers. And by making their voices heard, just like the league's founders did a century ago.
A centennial celebration for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will be held in June.