Friends of Pool 9 to offer boat tours as part of Refuge 100th Anniversary
As one part of celebrating the 100th Anniversary year of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the Friends of Pool 9 organization will be offering the public 10 two-hour boat tours on the longest and one of the most beautiful and ecologically rich wildlife refuges in the nation.
These unique experiences are focused on informing all age levels about the wildlife, fishes, habitats, and rich history of this publicly-owned refuge. The tours will be especially pleasing to families, the elderly, and anyone else who seldom, and perhaps never, get to explore, up close and personally, the Mississippi River.
The tour boat comfortably holds 49 passengers, and is Coast Guard inspected and certified. Captain Robert Vavra has a long and varied history as a Mississippi River man, and is an exceptional story-teller. He enjoys explaining everything passengers see, hear, and have questions about, while exploring secluded backwaters.
Boarding the tour boat takes place at a convenient and handicapped accessible site located between Coffee on the River and Shep’s Riverside Bar and Grill, on Front Street, in Lansing.
Tour dates and departure times are as follows: Friday evenings, May 10 and 17, departures are at 6 p.m. Saturdays, May 11 and 18, and Sundays, May 12 and 19, will each have two tours, with morning departures at 11 a.m. and afternoon departures at 3 p.m.
Fees for each adventure will be collected at the boarding dock and must be paid in cash only. Children ages 6 and under are free; ages 7-15 cost $8; and ages 16 and over cost $12. These minimal costs are being made available because of financial assistance from the Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism office.
Friends of Pool 9 is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Its mission is: To conserve the cultural and natural resources within Pool 9 of this refuge, and to foster wise public use and enjoyment of the refuge and Upper Mississippi River. Friends of Pool 9 accomplishes this mission through numerous projects and activities, including providing scholarships to students from De Soto and Eastern Allamakee school districts, annual river clean-up days, Mississippi River Adventure Days (MRAD) for teachers and students, monitoring Bald Eagle nests, and others. Membership is open to individuals who believe in the Friends of Pool 9 mission, and there are no membership fees. For additional information, visit the Friends of Pool 9 website at www.friendsofpool9.org, or Facebook Page at Friends of Pool 9.
