US Fish and Wildlife Service Reminds Refuge Users of Fireworks Ban

Misty Johnson / CC

ONALASKA, Wis. (KWNO)-The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will be a popular destination for boaters and campers for the long Independence Day weekend.  

Wildlife officials are reminding those planning to take advantage of the public land to not launch fireworks from it. They say the shock of fireworks can cause the wildlife to flee the refuge.  

Officials also say litter from fireworks and other pyrotechnics can be choking hazards or toxic to the species that call the refuge home. They say Federal law enforcement officers will be patrolling the Refuge looking for fireworks as well as glass bottles, which are also banned on Refuge beaches.  

The fine for glass bottles is $175; $225 for fireworks possession and use. 

The Refuge includes most islands and beaches on the Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minnesota to Rock Island, Illinois. If you are not sure if you will be within the refuge, please check the maps located at: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Upper_Mississippi_River/map.html