The Driftless Rivers National Park Foundationseeks creation of a new national park in the ruggedly beautiful blufflands of the Upper Mississippi River – the heart of America.

What You Can Do

In an era when people, especially children, are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature, America needs the Driftless Rivers National Park now more than ever—an accessible, beautiful landscape filled with adventure and opportunities for nature exploration.

Driftless Rivers National Park is not only a bold vision. It is a practical solution for protecting a unique and scenic landscape cradling the world’s oldest river, Pleistocene relict species, North America’s major Mississippi flyway, and ancient structures and rock paintings from a lost culture.

In this region, the ‘Father of Wildlife Management,’ Aldo Leopold, rehabilitated the woods and farm that inspired his seminal book A Sand County Almanac. The area also served as the location for the country’s first soil conservation project during the Dustbowl years of the 1930s. John Muir, one of the patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity, grew up and attended school nearby. Professor Phil Lewis, author of Tomorrow By Design and ‘Father of the Environmental Corridor,’ highlighted the Driftless Area decades ago as a place that should be protected as a natural playground for the spreading populations of Chicago, Milwaukee, the Quad Cities, and the Twin Cities of the Upper Midwest. The Upper Mississippi also has been designated a RAMSAR wetlands of global significance.

One of the highest places of honor for Americans has been reserved for the passionate citizens who have taken the bold steps of helping create our national parks. Like

President Theodore Roosevelt, you have an opportunity to create something important and lasting that will benefit countless generations of people. Please join us in creating the next great national park for America. The Driftless Rivers National Park Foundation needs you!

You can provide support to the Driftless Rivers National Park Foundation in a variety of ways. We need the following to transform the dream into reality:

  • Financial support. Please contribute today. Give until it feels good 😀  
  • Volunteer your time. Contact us to discuss ways that we can work together in your community.
  • Sign our petition to Congress to show your support for the Driftless Rivers National Park
  • Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube and share information about the park proposal with your friends and contacts.
  • Donate land to the Foundation, either to support the Foundation financially or to provide the nucleus for the creation of the national park!
  • Make a planned gift by naming Driftless Rivers National Park Foundation in your will. See our Ways of Giving page for more details.

Thank you for your support!