When they wondered what to call nine new man-made islands, staff at Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge issued a public challenge: Name an island (no proper names allowed), and put yourself on the map. More than 160 people responded, submitting 1,000 environmentally and culturally sensitive entries. The winners include several young students.

The nine islands were built to restore habitat at the refuge, a breeding and resting place for migratory birds that runs through four states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois) along 260 miles of the Mississippi River. A lock-and-dam system built in 1937 to aid navigation created wave and wind action that eroded existing islands. The island land mass in this area dropped from 625 acres to fewer than 150. Most of the new islands are built on the “footprints” of original islands in the refuge’s Pool 8, between Brownsville, Minnesota, and Stoddard, Wisconsin.

Here are the winning island names, their rationale and their authors.

Broken Bow Island: “It looks like a broken bow.” – Luke Helminski, Longfellow Middle School, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Snake Tongue Island: “The island is shaped like a snake tongue. Snakes are common in this area.” – Cass Roney and Parker Schamberger, Longfellow Middle School, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Small Fry Island: “The island looks like a tiny fish fry. This island is designed to encourage spawning.” Russ Peterson’s 5th grade class at Stoddard Elementary School, Stoddard, Wisconsin.

Log Island: “This island was built with black locust logs from Goose Island.” – Nicolas Bissen, Maria Lusk, Crucifixion School, La Crescent, Minnesota.

Old Scribbler Island: Named for Jay Reed, a legendary outdoors columnist with the Milwaukee Journal. – Jim Schroschein, Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

Cant Hook Island: “This island resembles a cant hook, used by river men in the 19th century to move logs floating downstream through the Raft Channel.” – Mark Steingraeber, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Raft Island: “This island creates a new safe pathway for boaters to enjoy the Raft Channel.” – Jody Sonsalla, Brownsville, Minnesota.

Dabbler Island: “Dabblers, commonly found in this area, are ducks that feed by tipping up or dabbling.” – Bill Ellingson, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Cygnet Island: “Young swans visit and migrate here each spring and fall.” – Marcy Lehrke, Chaseburg, Wisconsin.

For more information visit http://midwest.fws.gov/UpperMississippiRiver or call 507-452-4232.

– Wild Angles news, National Wildlife Service

When they wondered what to call nine new man-made islands, staff at Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge issued a public challenge: Name an island (no proper names allowed), and put yourself on the map. More than 160 people responded, submitting 1,000 environmentally and culturally sensitive entries. The winners include several young students.

The nine islands were built to restore habitat at the refuge, a breeding and resting place for migratory birds that runs through four states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois) along 260 miles of the Mississippi River. A lock-and-dam system built in 1937 to aid navigation created wave and wind action that eroded existing islands. The island land mass in this area dropped from 625 acres to fewer than 150. Most of the new islands are built on the “footprints” of original islands in the refuge’s Pool 8, between Brownsville, Minnesota, and Stoddard, Wisconsin.

Here are the winning island names, their rationale and their authors.

Broken Bow Island: “It looks like a broken bow.” – Luke Helminski, Longfellow Middle School, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Snake Tongue Island: “The island is shaped like a snake tongue. Snakes are common in this area.” – Cass Roney and Parker Schamberger, Longfellow Middle School, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Small Fry Island: “The island looks like a tiny fish fry. This island is designed to encourage spawning.” Russ Peterson’s 5th grade class at Stoddard Elementary School, Stoddard, Wisconsin.

Log Island: “This island was built with black locust logs from Goose Island.” – Nicolas Bissen, Maria Lusk, Crucifixion School, La Crescent, Minnesota.

Old Scribbler Island: Named for Jay Reed, a legendary outdoors columnist with the Milwaukee Journal. – Jim Schroschein, Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

Cant Hook Island: “This island resembles a cant hook, used by river men in the 19th century to move logs floating downstream through the Raft Channel.” – Mark Steingraeber, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Raft Island: “This island creates a new safe pathway for boaters to enjoy the Raft Channel.” – Jody Sonsalla, Brownsville, Minnesota.

Dabbler Island: “Dabblers, commonly found in this area, are ducks that feed by tipping up or dabbling.” – Bill Ellingson, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Cygnet Island: “Young swans visit and migrate here each spring and fall.” – Marcy Lehrke, Chaseburg, Wisconsin.

For more information visit http://midwest.fws.gov/UpperMississippiRiver or call 507-452-4232.

– Wild Angles news, National Wildlife Service