Driving DirectionsThis area consists of 87 scattered tracts adjacent to the Mississippi River and some river islands. HighlightsThese tracts are mostly forest along with old fields and wetlands. The area contains waterfowl blinds and Westport Island Natural Area, which is a bottomland wet-mesic forest. About This AreaThe Upper Mississippi Conservation Area, rich in wildlife and habitat diversity, stretches from the Melvin Price Lock and Dam at Alton, Illinois, to LaGrange, Missouri. It is composed of 87 tracts of federal lands totaling over 11,000 acres and managed under a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Accumulating silt reduced the productivity of this wetland area, and navigation and recreational boating helped move bottom sediments into backwaters and chutes, reducing the number of wetland habitats. In an effort to balance navigation needs and the need for wildlife habitat, Congress authorized the Environmental Management Program in 1986. This federal program is designed to protect the resources and guide future river management. One of the elements of this program was the construction of Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects. Water regulation is now possible depending on river elevations, further improving habitat for fish and wildlife.Many people visit the riverine area to enjoy the outdoors, hunt and hike on the new sediment deflection levee or fish below the water control structures.