The Blufflands by another name...
The steeply carved bluffs, exposed limestone and carved valleys of the Upper Mississippi River are frequently called the “Blufflands Region.” However, you might hear other names for this landscape depending on your location or peer group:
- Driftless Area refers to the lack of glacial “drift,” the materials left behind by retreating glaciers. This region was spared from recent glaciers that flattened the surrounding area.
- Paleozoic Plateau refers to sedimentary rocks in the valley walls which date back to the Paleozoic period. Compared to nearby areas with recent glacial activity, the Blufflands region has older rock formations closer to the surface.
- Coulee Region is the term often preferred by residents of Wisconsin, particularly in the LaCrosse area. This term is not used to denote other parts of the blufflands.
- Little Switzerland is a more colloquial term used by some Iowans, especially around Dubuque County and Swiss Valley Park.
The Upper Mississippi River Blufflands is the land of Mark Twain, ancient civilizations, small communities and bustling cities, rich cultural diversity, caring people and timeless scenic beauty.
The Upper Mississippi River Blufflands includes all or part of 35 counties in southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois.
But the region’s cultural, ecological and economic values are internationally significant.
The landscape
The Blufflands region was bypassed by the last continental glacier, resulting in a steep and rugged landscape – often in sharp contrast to flatter land just miles away. The land’s diverse topography, soils, and plant communities harbor many globally-imperiled natural communities with amazing contrasts: from hot-dry sites with prickly pear cactus and “goat” prairies to ice age holdovers like Pleistocene snails on cold air slopes.
Here, prairie, oak savanna, wetlands and deciduous forests remain part of a mosaic of farms, suburban and urban areas. The once free-flowing and meandering Mississippi River has been modified – but never completely tamed. Rather, as Congress declared in 1986, the Upper Mississippi River is both a nationally significant ecosystem and commercial navigation system.
This special place is designated as highest priority for all four State Wildlife Action Plans. But the plants and animals already knew that. In addition to its resident species, this corridor is part of a major transcontinental migratory flyway for birds that nest in the north during the summer and fly south to the southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America in winter.