For many years, the Upper Mississippi River has been recognized as an important fall staging area for canvasbacks in the eastern United States. A number of areas on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge have been given special regulatory designations that might collectively be thought of as waterfowl priority areas. The goal of these areas is to provide space for canvasbacks and other waterfowl species to feed and rest, building fat supplies that will fuel the rest of their fall migration and potentially enhance their winter survivorship. A major component of canvasback habitat quality is the relative abundance of wild celery, a submersed aquatic plant that has long been known as a preferred and important canvasback food. Another important component of canvasback habitat quality is the presence, absence, or relative amount of human disturbance. Finally, a component of habitat quality that may be underappreciated is the availability of large, open riverscapes. This presentation will utilize two sets of aerial survey data as well as others’ published works to demonstrate how these three components of habitat quality are of critical importance to fall staging canvasbacks on the Upper Mississippi River.