U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Midwest

Ohio’s Maumee River, which 100 years ago supported thousands of lake sturgeon, is now the center of a recovery effort for the ancient fish. We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have partnered with the Toledo Zoo, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Purdy Fisheries, University of Toledo, University of Windsor, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and Michigan Department of Natural Resources to help re-establish this living relic in the river and Lake Erie.

Check out our best stories from around the web and social media. This week features turkeys in the tress, snack stashes, skink sightings and more!

To conserve, restore and protect wildlife, fish, plants and their habitats, we manage public lands for the benefit of everyone. Every employee in our agency - the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - plays a role in making our mission possible. Some of our employees are recognized for their exemplary contribution in environmental conservation. On September 15, 2018, Sheldon Myerchin, State Coordinator for our Partners For Fish and Wildlife Program accepted the Minnesota Land Trust’s Partner of the Year Award on behalf of the Partners For Fish and Wildlife Program - well earned recognition for their hard working staff. We don’t do anything alone. Our partners help us achieve our mission, we help them, and together we make a big difference for fish and wildlife. This award celebrates that unique partnership.

We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have a long tradition of working with private landowners and are proud of what we’ve accomplished together in the name of conservation. We were pleased to welcome Secretary Ryan Zinke this week for Private Lands Partners Day in Springfield, Missouri. Together with Partners for Conservation, we co-hosted the 11th annual gathering of ranchers, farmers and other private landowners.

Check out our best stories from around the web and social media. This week features crane migration, night travelers, spider sightings and more!

Check out our best stories from around the web and social media. This week features winning artwork, hummingbird feeder maintenance, migrating merlins and more!

We're celebrating Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, which was established 80 years ago. Today, the refuge encompasses 3,334 acres of both marsh and upland habitat and is home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. Take a moment to learn about this migratory waterfowl refuge located in the southern end of the Prairie Pothole Region and plan a trip to experience it first-hand.

Neighbors help neighbors, and sometimes they lift up a community. That’s the case in Elk River, Minnesota, where a family has given the city a present that will keep giving for generations to come.

Check out our best stories from around the web and social media. This week features awesome opossums, owl sightings, successful nests and more!

As we look out to our once active hummingbird feeders, we’re instantly reminded that the move is on. The return of fall brings the departure of many migratory birds in the midwest. While the result is a noticeable decrease at hummingbird feeders, rare hummingbirds can sometimes use a helping hand in heading on their way to warmer skies. We want to provide some food for thought when it comes to taking in your hummingbird feeders.

Check out our best stories from around the web and social media. This week features otter sightings, goldenrod in bloom, sticking out and more!

We've reached a milestone in our efforts to prevent the extinction of the Poweshiek skipperling, an endangered prairie butterfly. In June, the Minnesota Zoo successfully released two captive-reared Poweshiek skipperling butterflies at a prairie fen site in Oakland County, Michigan. The release is the culmination of a multi-year, international conservation effort to save this highly endangered species.

Check out our best stories from around the web and social media. This week features white squirrels, monarch migration, fox identification tips and more!

When it comes to pollinators, we're not embarrassed to say we take our work home. To prove our point, employees from the Midwest Science Applications Program open up their gardens to give us a sneak peek at what they planted, and share a few words about what inspired them to make their yards havens for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.