Mississippi River Team

The Wisconsin DNR Mississippi River Team is responsible for managing the natural resources along the Mississippi River in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states of Minnesota and Iowa. Due to the nature of the Upper Mississippi River Navigation system we also have partnerships with the states of Illinois and Missouri.


This interdisciplinary team has expertise in fish, aquatic vegetation, wildlife, water quality, freshwater mussels, and Mississippi River habitat.

Mississippi River Contacts

Because the Mississippi River Team is responsible for 230 miles of river along the western border of Wisconsin, there are offices located in Alma, La Crosse, and Prairie du Chien. In addition, the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program office for Wisconsin is located at a separate facility in La Crosse, WI.

Mississippi River Team Leader:
Gretchen Benjamin

608-785-9982

Mississippi River Planner:
Jim Fischer

608-785-9004

Mississippi River Water Quality Specialist:
John Sullivan

608-785-9995

Mississippi River Wildlife Biologist:
Mark Anderson

608-785-9984

Wildlife Technician:
John Nelson

608-785-9987

Mississippi River Fisheries Supervisor:
Ron Benjamin

608-785-9012

Alma Fisheries Biologist:
Brian Brecka

608-685-6221

Alma Fisheries Technician:
Michelle Marron

608-685-6221

La Crosse Fisheries Biologist:
David Heath

608-785-9993

La Crosse Fisheries Technician:
Ken Von Ruden

608-785-9988

Prairie du Chien Fisheries Biologist:
Patrick Short

608-326-8818

Mississippi River Habitat Specialist:
Jeff Janvrin

608-785-9005

Long-Term Resource Monitoring Program
Located at DNR's Field Station

Team Leader:
Terry Dukerschein

608-781-6360

Fisheries Specialist:
Andrew Bartels

608-781-6361

Fisheries Technician:
vacant

608-781-6367

Vegetation Specialist:
Heidi Langrehr

608-781-6362

Water Quality Specialist:
Shawn Giblin

608-781-6363

Water Quality Technician:
Kraig Hoff

608-781-6368

Contact Us

To find out more about the Upper Mississippi River you may contact us by phone or click on a name to reach us by email . If you have a question or comment about a web page, please describe the page by its title and/or its web address (URL). If you have a request for more information please focus on a specific question. Your questions are important to us and we will reply as quickly as possible.

Last Revised: October 30, 2007