- Upper Iowa River
The Upper Iowa River is a tributary of the
Mississippi River in the upperMidwest of theUnited States .Its headwaters are in southeastern
Minnesota , in Mower County (Le Roy and Lodi townships) near the border withIowa . It then flows through the Iowa counties of Howard Winnesheik and Allamakee and finally into theUpper Mississippi River . Along its course, it passes through the Iowa cities of Chester,Lime Springs , Florenceville, Kendallville, and Decorah. Its watershed comprises nearly convert|641000|acre|km2|-1.The Upper Iowa and its tributaries are part of the
Driftless Area of Iowa, a region that was ice-free during the last ice age. Unlike areas to the south and west, the area was not planed down by glaciation or covered in glacialdrift , with the result that there are steep, high-walled canyons that little resembles what one normally sees in Iowa rivers in the western and southern regions of the state. The lack of any serious development makes this the only river in Iowa eligible for designation as aNational Wild and Scenic River . It has not yet attained this status, partly because much of the land and the riverbottom itself are privately owned.It is an excellent river for
canoe ing, taking paddlers through the scenic bluff country. Many put their canoes in at Kendallville or down river from there, but some more intrepid paddlers prefer to start at Lime Springs by theLidtke Mill or at Florenceville.A number of wildlife refuges and preserves dot the river's basin. Bird sightings on the river usually include
bald eagle s,great blue heron s,turkey vulture s, andbarn swallow s.In April 2007, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation announced the purchase of convert|1224|acre|km2|0 of additional land; currently off limits to the public, stabilization and restoration work will be done to the riverbank, with removal of non-native vegetation and replanting with more appropriate species.
ee also
*
List of Iowa rivers
*List of Minnesota rivers ources and External Links
* [http://www.northeastiowarcd.org/uirw/files/Appendix%20J%20GIS%20Analysis%20of%20the%20UIRW.pdf Statistics on watershed (*.pdf)] (retrieved 5 April 2007)
* [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=arx&gage=dchi4&view=1,1,1,1,1,1 Water level (NOAA)] (retrieved 31 March 2007)
* [http://wqm.igsb.uiowa.edu/activities/stream/monthly%20sites/uppriowa.htm Watershed map] (retrieved 31 March 2007)
* [http://www.inhf.org/upperiowariver.htm Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation] (retrieved 21 March 2007)
* [http://northeastiowarcd.org/uirw/ Upper Iowa River Watershed Project] (retrieved 31 March 2007)
* [http://desmoinesriver.org/canoeguide/upperia.pdf Lime Springs to French Creek Bridge *pdf format] (retrieved 31 March 2007)
* [http://www.canoekayak.com/destinations/centralus/upper_iowa/ Kayaking site] (retrieved 31 March 2007)
* [http://www.waukonstandard.com/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=103&ArticleID=40840&TM=40236.47 Acquisition of 1224 acres (from Waukon, "Standard")] (retrieved 5 April 2007)
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