[1] The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge has a local headquarters at Rockwood, Illinois, in Randolph County.

The three parcels of bottomland that make up this Refuge had been riverine polders, agricultural land protected by dikes.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to slowly return these three parcels to the status of semi-natural bottomlands.

Pursuant to these plans, the Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge was established in May 2000.

[1] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.