GRHA Newsletter - 2017 Winter: Vol 11, Issue 2

ht you and your friends will not want to miss!

Great Rivers Great Rivers Habitat Alliance P R EAlliance S E R V IPO N GBox T H50014 E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 Habitat PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 St. Louis, MO 63105

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance

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The m and th buyers

P R E S E R V I N G T H E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 | VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 9900 Clayton Road Suite D St. Louis, MO 63124 Phone: 314-918-1007 E-mail: dstokes@grha.org E-mail: karen@grha.org Follow us on Twitter: @GRHAmo Follow us on Facebook: GreatRiversHabitatAlliance

Partnership Gala with Ducks Unlimited: Another Great Event

Terrific weather, shared history, camaraderie, and fond remembrances of a great sportsman and conservationist combined to make the 2017 Great Rivers Habitat Alliance/Ducks Unlimited (DU) partnership event our largest and most successful gala yet. More than 300 people attended the dinner and auction on October 19 at the Danforth Center in St. Louis. The evening began with an outdoor cocktail party where attendees were able to experience their first view of the updated duck club maps, which were released that night.

After the outdoor reception, guests moved inside for an enjoyable dinner and presentations from Mike Checkett of DU and Andy Spann with Great Rivers. The entire evening was dedicated to the memory of August William “Bill” Hager, who oversaw the publication of the duck club map every decade for the past 40 years. The highlight of the evening was when Mr. Hager’s son, Rusty, addressed the room with recollections of his father’s great appreciation of conservation and his love of the outdoors.

The most anticipated part of the evening was the auction of Map # 1 for both the sixth printing of the St. Charles County duck club map and the inaugural printing of the Lincoln and Pike counties duck club map. Spirited bidding occurred for both maps, with the winning buyers purchasing a piece of conservation and hunting history that will stay in their families and clubs for a lifetime.

All the money raised at the event goes to support the conservation work of Ducks Unlimited and Great Rivers Habitat Alliance and our work to preserve the Confluence floodplain.

Great Rivers Great Rivers Habitat Alliance Habitat AlliancePO Box 50014 PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 St. Louis, MO 63105 9900 Clayton Road Suite D 9900 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 63124 Suite D St. Louis, MO 63124 Phone: 314-918-1007 E-mail: dstokes@grha.org Phone: 314-918-1007 E-mail: karen@grha.org E-mail: dstokes@grha.org E-mail: karen@grha.org Follow us on Twitter: @GRHAmo Follow us on Twitter: Follow us on Facebook: @GRHAmo GreatRiversHabitatAlliance Follow us on Facebook: GreatRiversHabitatAlliance Great Rivers P R EAlliance S E R V I N G T H E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 Habitat P R E S E R V IPO N GBox T H50014 E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 St. Louis, MO 63105

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V I S I T

W W W. G R H A . O R G

Improper Levee Heights Mississippi River River Along The The Mississippi The U.S. U.S.Army Army Corps Corps of of Engineers Engineers came came The out with a long-awaited report last spring confirming the truth of what has long been suspected, that numerous levee districts along the Mississippi River have built their levees higher than authorized by the Corps. Residents of Lincoln and Pike counties, including GRHA supporter Nancy Guyton with Neighbors of the Mississippi, have long looked across the river and suspected that the levee districts on the Illinois side were improperly high. After receiving many comments along those lines through the years, the Rock Island District of the Army Corps decided to investigate. What they found was shocking, even to those who have suspected improper heights for some time.

will attempt to determine the effects of the unauthorized levee heights on the flooding over the past decade. (Great Rivers Habitat Alliance was able to submit high-water marks from recent flood events in order to help confirm the accuracy of the Corps’ modeling work.) The The modeling may demonstrate just how serious the impacts of the high levees were during those floods, and how much damage they may have caused by negating the careful calculations of the Corps and other planners.

The The Rock Rock Island Island District District measured measured 202 202 miles miles of of levees north of St. Louis up through Iowa, and found that 80 miles of levees were between 2 and 4 feet higher than allowed by law. That That isis 40 40 percent of the surveyed levees being significantly higher than authorized! As Scott Whitney with the Rock Island Corps told the Alton Telegraph, “That’s “That’s pretty pretty significant.” significant.”

When levee districts flout regulations and improperly build higher levees than approved, they make it impossible for other communities to responsibly plan for flood impacts. Just as damaging, their own altered levees raise the heights of the floodwaters. After all — as is often said — the water has to go somewhere.

Currently, the Army Corps is conducting a modeling study of the Mississippi River that

Valley Park: GRHA Executive Director David Stokes addressed the Webster/Kirkwood Rotary Club in October at Greenbriar Country Club about the issue of flooding and floodplain development. Many of the attendees were alltoo-familiar with the Meramec River floods of New Year’s 2015-16 and April/May of 2017.

GRHA has been appointed to serve on an ad- hoc flooding committee that Missouri Rep. David Gregory of Valley Park established.

Many other businesses and citizens in the area — in both St. Louis and Jefferson counties — are trying to work together to come up with solutions. They They have have been been awoken awoken by by two two 500-year floods within a span of 18 months, and it is time to make policy changes at the federal, state, and local levels to help decrease the threat of a third.

Source: Alton Telegraph

Policy Updates city and and levee levee Maryland Heights: The The city district continue to try to quietly improve the stormwater control systems in the area north and west of Hwy. 141 and the Page Avenue Extension. While improved stormwater controls are not by themselves a bad thing, once they have made those internal improvements, they are expected to again move full-steam ahead on destroying hundreds of acres of farmland in order to use tax subsidies to pay for the region’s newest mega-development. Using tax dollars to subsidize the destruction of this irreplaceable

National FloodInsurance InsuranceProgram: Program:NFIP NFIPis is National Flood up for renewal this year. The The deadline deadline for for the the program was recently extended to the end of 2017, but much work still remains. NFIP needs significant reforms, and the devastating hurricane season our country has experienced has put it under more financial pressure than ever. GRHA’s executive director, David Stokes, participated in two days of meetings in Washington, D.C., this summer that focused on NFIP reform and reauthorization.

Upcoming Missouri2018 2018Legislative LegislativeSession: Session: Upcoming Missouri Great Rivers Habitat Alliances’ priorities include once again seeking policy changes that allow rural Missouri counties to enact tighter floodplain development requirements if they so choose and pressing for enforcement of violations of levee height rules by Missouri levee districts (see the related article in this newsletter about that issue).

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President’s Column

By Andy Spann

floodplain would be shameful. GRHA was one of the leading groups opposing these proposals before they were temporarily shelved, and we will continue to oppose these plans in whatever way we can.

New Federal Floodplain Standards: The The Trump Trump Administration Administration has, has, unfortunately, unfortunately, rescinded recently enacted tighter restrictions and requirements on federally funded projects within the 100-year floodplain. GRHA submitted comments last year in favor of these Obama Administration changes, and we will continue working to see that these very modest improvements are eventually implemented.

The The most most prominent prominent violator violator of of the the levee levee rules rules is the Sny Island Levee Drainage District in Illinois. So far, it is the only levee district the Army Corps has punished for its actions. (The (The Corps has removed Sny from a reimbursement program.) Unfortunately, there are other levee district violators on both sides of the river in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA) has been encouraging elected officials to support the Army Corps and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in their efforts to enforce approved levee heights. GRHA Executive Director David Stokes stressed the importance of compelling these levee districts to lower their levees in talks with Missouri Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C., this summer.

W I N T E R

Dave Stokes, director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, just outside the flood gate on Marshall Road in Valley Park.

South County Times Runs Major Story on Great Rivers In August, the South County Times ran a major story on the work of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance to combat levees and floodplain development in our region. The The front-page front-page article article and and accompanying podcast focused on the two major floods along the Meramec River in recent years and the effects of the Valley Park levee. As readers of this newsletter know, the never-ending pressure to develop the floodplain leads to choices that inevitably result in worse flooding and more environmental damage.

Articles like this one in the Times (southcountytimes.com) help us spread our message as widely as possible. The The online online version version of of this this newsletter newsletter includes includes a link to the podcast of that story if you would like to listen to it.

GRHA Welcomes New Board Member Please welcome our newest board member, Bob Sivewright, to Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. Sivewright is a commercial banker for Enterprise Bank & Trust. He is a graduate of Auburn University and received his MBA from Emory University in Atlanta. He is an avid sportsman and conservationist with a particular fondness for all things waterfowl. Sivewright has spent time banding ducks in North and South Dakota, and he has served on leadership teams for various Ducks Unlimited (DU) chapters. Sivewright and his wife, Amanda, reside in Warson Woods with their two dogs.

He officially joined our board in September, and we are very excited to have him with us as part of GRHA.

This my last last column column for for this this newsletter newsletter as as This isis my president of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance.

I have accepted the chairman position of GRHA and will start that role in December.

I want to commend Chris Hyams for taking over as president next year, and I want to thank James T. Blair, IV, for his service as chairman for the past two years. Jim Blair has been a tireless advocate for conservation in Missouri and has been devoted to GRHA’s mission during his many years on the board.

I believe that as I leave my presidency of this group, GRHA is as strong as we have ever been, both organizationally and financially.

Because the efforts to pave over our floodplains and levee off our rivers never seems to end, our fight will continue. The The long-term long-term solutions solutions are strong regulations eliminating floodplain development and a wholesale change in flood protection away from new levees and back toward a more natural river management plan.

The short-term ways ways to to address address the the flooding flooding The short-term and environmental destruction of floodplain development is by convincing more people to enact conservation easements and oppose floodplain projects within their own communities. These aims —both —both longlong- and and These aims short-term — are what our educational and outreach efforts will continue to go toward.

That why itit isis so so important important to to have have your your That isis why continued financial support.

I am proud to be associated with an organization that seeks to conserve the magnificent rivers, wetlands, and floodplains that were the reason for St. Louis’ founding (and GRHA’s founding) in the first place. Without that heritage and the environmental benefits that the river ecosystem provides, our entire region would suffer. You can trust that Great Rivers Habitat Alliance will continue to do all we can to preserve the Confluence.

V I S I T

W W W. G R H A . O R G

Improper Levee Heights Mississippi River River Along The The Mississippi The U.S. U.S.Army Army Corps Corps of of Engineers Engineers came came The out with a long-awaited report last spring confirming the truth of what has long been suspected, that numerous levee districts along the Mississippi River have built their levees higher than authorized by the Corps. Residents of Lincoln and Pike counties, including GRHA supporter Nancy Guyton with Neighbors of the Mississippi, have long looked across the river and suspected that the levee districts on the Illinois side were improperly high. After receiving many comments along those lines through the years, the Rock Island District of the Army Corps decided to investigate. What they found was shocking, even to those who have suspected improper heights for some time.

will attempt to determine the effects of the unauthorized levee heights on the flooding over the past decade. (Great Rivers Habitat Alliance was able to submit high-water marks from recent flood events in order to help confirm the accuracy of the Corps’ modeling work.) The The modeling may demonstrate just how serious the impacts of the high levees were during those floods, and how much damage they may have caused by negating the careful calculations of the Corps and other planners.

The The Rock Rock Island Island District District measured measured 202 202 miles miles of of levees north of St. Louis up through Iowa, and found that 80 miles of levees were between 2 and 4 feet higher than allowed by law. That That isis 40 40 percent of the surveyed levees being significantly higher than authorized! As Scott Whitney with the Rock Island Corps told the Alton Telegraph, “That’s “That’s pretty pretty significant.” significant.”

When levee districts flout regulations and improperly build higher levees than approved, they make it impossible for other communities to responsibly plan for flood impacts. Just as damaging, their own altered levees raise the heights of the floodwaters. After all — as is often said — the water has to go somewhere.

Currently, the Army Corps is conducting a modeling study of the Mississippi River that

Valley Park: GRHA Executive Director David Stokes addressed the Webster/Kirkwood Rotary Club in October at Greenbriar Country Club about the issue of flooding and floodplain development. Many of the attendees were alltoo-familiar with the Meramec River floods of New Year’s 2015-16 and April/May of 2017.

GRHA has been appointed to serve on an ad- hoc flooding committee that Missouri Rep. David Gregory of Valley Park established.

Many other businesses and citizens in the area — in both St. Louis and Jefferson counties — are trying to work together to come up with solutions. They They have have been been awoken awoken by by two two 500-year floods within a span of 18 months, and it is time to make policy changes at the federal, state, and local levels to help decrease the threat of a third.

Source: Alton Telegraph

Policy Updates city and and levee levee Maryland Heights: The The city district continue to try to quietly improve the stormwater control systems in the area north and west of Hwy. 141 and the Page Avenue Extension. While improved stormwater controls are not by themselves a bad thing, once they have made those internal improvements, they are expected to again move full-steam ahead on destroying hundreds of acres of farmland in order to use tax subsidies to pay for the region’s newest mega-development. Using tax dollars to subsidize the destruction of this irreplaceable

National FloodInsurance InsuranceProgram: Program:NFIP NFIPis is National Flood up for renewal this year. The The deadline deadline for for the the program was recently extended to the end of 2017, but much work still remains. NFIP needs significant reforms, and the devastating hurricane season our country has experienced has put it under more financial pressure than ever. GRHA’s executive director, David Stokes, participated in two days of meetings in Washington, D.C., this summer that focused on NFIP reform and reauthorization.

Upcoming Missouri2018 2018Legislative LegislativeSession: Session: Upcoming Missouri Great Rivers Habitat Alliances’ priorities include once again seeking policy changes that allow rural Missouri counties to enact tighter floodplain development requirements if they so choose and pressing for enforcement of violations of levee height rules by Missouri levee districts (see the related article in this newsletter about that issue).

2 0 1 7

President’s Column

By Andy Spann

floodplain would be shameful. GRHA was one of the leading groups opposing these proposals before they were temporarily shelved, and we will continue to oppose these plans in whatever way we can.

New Federal Floodplain Standards: The The Trump Trump Administration Administration has, has, unfortunately, unfortunately, rescinded recently enacted tighter restrictions and requirements on federally funded projects within the 100-year floodplain. GRHA submitted comments last year in favor of these Obama Administration changes, and we will continue working to see that these very modest improvements are eventually implemented.

The The most most prominent prominent violator violator of of the the levee levee rules rules is the Sny Island Levee Drainage District in Illinois. So far, it is the only levee district the Army Corps has punished for its actions. (The (The Corps has removed Sny from a reimbursement program.) Unfortunately, there are other levee district violators on both sides of the river in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA) has been encouraging elected officials to support the Army Corps and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in their efforts to enforce approved levee heights. GRHA Executive Director David Stokes stressed the importance of compelling these levee districts to lower their levees in talks with Missouri Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C., this summer.

W I N T E R

Dave Stokes, director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, just outside the flood gate on Marshall Road in Valley Park.

South County Times Runs Major Story on Great Rivers In August, the South County Times ran a major story on the work of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance to combat levees and floodplain development in our region. The The front-page front-page article article and and accompanying podcast focused on the two major floods along the Meramec River in recent years and the effects of the Valley Park levee. As readers of this newsletter know, the never-ending pressure to develop the floodplain leads to choices that inevitably result in worse flooding and more environmental damage.

Articles like this one in the Times (southcountytimes.com) help us spread our message as widely as possible. The The online online version version of of this this newsletter newsletter includes includes a link to the podcast of that story if you would like to listen to it.

GRHA Welcomes New Board Member Please welcome our newest board member, Bob Sivewright, to Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. Sivewright is a commercial banker for Enterprise Bank & Trust. He is a graduate of Auburn University and received his MBA from Emory University in Atlanta. He is an avid sportsman and conservationist with a particular fondness for all things waterfowl. Sivewright has spent time banding ducks in North and South Dakota, and he has served on leadership teams for various Ducks Unlimited (DU) chapters. Sivewright and his wife, Amanda, reside in Warson Woods with their two dogs.

He officially joined our board in September, and we are very excited to have him with us as part of GRHA.

This my last last column column for for this this newsletter newsletter as as This isis my president of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance.

I have accepted the chairman position of GRHA and will start that role in December.

I want to commend Chris Hyams for taking over as president next year, and I want to thank James T. Blair, IV, for his service as chairman for the past two years. Jim Blair has been a tireless advocate for conservation in Missouri and has been devoted to GRHA’s mission during his many years on the board.

I believe that as I leave my presidency of this group, GRHA is as strong as we have ever been, both organizationally and financially.

Because the efforts to pave over our floodplains and levee off our rivers never seems to end, our fight will continue. The The long-term long-term solutions solutions are strong regulations eliminating floodplain development and a wholesale change in flood protection away from new levees and back toward a more natural river management plan.

The short-term ways ways to to address address the the flooding flooding The short-term and environmental destruction of floodplain development is by convincing more people to enact conservation easements and oppose floodplain projects within their own communities. These aims —both —both longlong- and and These aims short-term — are what our educational and outreach efforts will continue to go toward.

That why itit isis so so important important to to have have your your That isis why continued financial support.

I am proud to be associated with an organization that seeks to conserve the magnificent rivers, wetlands, and floodplains that were the reason for St. Louis’ founding (and GRHA’s founding) in the first place. Without that heritage and the environmental benefits that the river ecosystem provides, our entire region would suffer. You can trust that Great Rivers Habitat Alliance will continue to do all we can to preserve the Confluence.

V I S I T

W W W. G R H A . O R G

Cap-Au-Gris Farms Pin Oak Farms II

Pin Oak Farms Prairie Prairie Flyway Club Flyaway Club

Prairie Lake Club

Fowl Play Farms

Hawthorne Club

Keeteman

Argent Club

Schramm Farm

Duck True-Luck Point

True-Luck

Old Blue

Cuivre Island Conservation Area

Old River Duck Club

Drakes Landing

Possum Ranch

Richfield Club

Orchard Farm Duck Club

The Little Place

EMAR Farm

Ackerman

Creek Farm Club

Autumn Flight

Duck’s Rest

Mel Factor

West Wind

Hedgefield Farm

Du ck Fa away rm s

Goose Creek

Judith Ann Farms II

O&H

Tip Top Soil Farm

Flying L Farms

Fossick Farm

Upper Deck Northwinds

Goose Pasture Club Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge

Marais Temps Clair Duck Club

ANNADA

Barwise Hunt Club

Cottonwood Club

Wetland Farms

Indian Hills Club The Legends Malinmor Hunt Club

Set Wings 3 Rivers Duck Club, Inc.

Bryant Creek Farm

TAKEMNOW Duck Club Just-One-More Club North Club Chinkapin Farms, Inc. Hunt Club

Sidener Club

Prairie Slough White Oak Ducks

Puree Farms The P. Hole

Mississippi Mallards

Purdy Farm Duck Club

Blue Wing Farm

Silver Farm

B.K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area

Golden Eagle Hunt Club

Over & Under

Flying B

Back Water Farms Purdy Farm Duck Club

Mallard Point Farms 1000 Oaks

Anderson Club

Poor Boy Duck Club Schlenke Heirs

Seven Oaks Farm Rothermich Club

Once Around

Sunrise Duck Club

Whistling Wings Prairie Marsh North Winds

ELSBERRY

D U C K C L U B S I N S T. C H A R L E S C O U N T Y A ND S O UTHE R N L I N C OL N C O UN T Y

Affy’s

Baldwin Land Co.

Dillard Atey Duck Farms Club

Mallard’s Nest

Prairie Slough Conservation Area

Hammerin Hole

The Wet Spot

Bethman’s Farm Duck Club

Paddlefoot St. Peters Duck Club Francis’s

The Cronin Boys Duck Club

Annaberry

Westhoff Farms

Dillard Duck Club

Waldmeister Farm

High Ball

Diamond Drake

The Limit Club

Missouri Valley Duck Club, Inc.

Golden Eagle Farm Little Cannon North 40 Duck Club

Phat Mallard

Schulte Construction

Dardenne Club

Webfoot Belleau Farm

Mid-Rivers Club Banded Brothers Pintail Farms Mid-Rivers Club

Mid-Rivers Club

CBQ

Duckaway Farms

•

Duckaway Farms

Oro Farm South

Green Wing

Possum Ranch

St. Louis Piscatorial Club

Judith Ann Farms I

Peruque Bend Farms

Old Pecan Hunt Club Stone Farm Black Dog Land Co., LLC

Bruerewood Bottoms Hunt Club

Windfall Farms

Mallard Farm

Widgeon Club

CLARKSVILLE Bluffview Farm

Wren’s Ranch

The Roost At Maryland Hunting And Fishing, Inc.

Flooded Farms Duck Club

Flyway

Mallard’s Landing

Orion

Six Gun Club

Cuivre Club

Pleasant Union

High Line Farms

Marshland Duck Club Game Preserve Ten-Hi Farms

Prairie Marsh Farms

Pin Oak

Possum Ranch

Pleasant Union Inc.

Oro Farm North

Raccoon Ranch Club

Marais Beckett

Garbo Farms

Golden Eagle Wildlife Preserve

Blind Luck

The Bend

Horseshoe Lake Hunting & Fishing Club

Twin Rivers

Argent Wildlife Club

Brown Lake

Pecan Point

Donald’s Duck Club Beaver Lake

Deer Plain

Autumn Wings

Kelly

Mallard Duck Club #2 Mallard Duck Club #1 Backwoods

Presidents Club

Brussels Duck Club

Stringer Club

Flying D’s

M Co arie ns s T erv em atio ps n A Cla rea ir

Wehde-N-Shoot

Flyway Farm

Deep Lake Club

2017 Sixth Printing Edited by Tim Sheahan Designed by Mark Illig Photos by Fred Greenslade Delta Waterfowl Printing by Repco Solutions

2007 Fifth Printing

1977 Second Printing

1997 Fourth Printing

1956 First Printing Louis A. Hoerr II

1987 Third Printing

B.K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area

Dyer Farms

This map is dedicated to A. William Hager (1924 - 2012), a great conservationist and sportsman, who faithfully managed the printing of this map from 1977 through 2007.

Mallard Bend Hunting Club

Keiser Farms Lost River

Wingshoot Farms Duck Club Marre Farms

Twin Lakes

Fox Farms

Burke Farms

Nooker Duck Club

D4 Outfitters ILLINOIS RIVER

Benelli Club

DUCK CLUBS IN LINCOLN AND PIKE COUNTY 2017 Inaugural Printing Edited by Tim Sheahan & David Stokes Designed by Mark Illig

FOLEY

Photos by Fred Greenslade Delta Waterfowl

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Printing by Repco Solutions Cap-Au-Gris Farms

WINFIELD

Pin Oak Farms II Wehde-N-Shoot

Pin Oak Farms

Flyway Farm StringerClub

Hawthorne Club Prairie Prairie Flyway Club Flyaway Club

Prairie Lake Club

Fowl Play Farms Mallard Duck Club #2

Keeteman

Kelly Argent Club Schramm Farm Brown Lake

Argent Wildlife Club

Flying D’s Autumn Wings

Cuivre Island Conservation Area

Mallard Duck Club #1

Duck Club Maps For Sale

© GREAT RIVERS HABITAT ALLIANCE 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

If you are interested in purchasing one of the beautiful 2017 duck club maps, they are now available for sale. Both the sixth printing of the St. Charles map and the inaugural Lincoln and Pike counties map are available. Each map is $400, which is tax-deductible. Map sales will support the work of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, and Delta Waterfowl. Maps are sold unframed, but we are happy to recommend a frame shop at your request. Please contact our office at (314) 918-1007 to arrange a time to come by and purchase your updated duck club map for your hunt club, office, man cave, or trophy room!

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance Partners

D O N A T I O N S C A N B E M A D E A T : W W W. G R H A . O R G Great Rivers Habitat Alliance is a 501(c)3 public charity and donations to GRHA are tax deductible as allowed by law.

t you and your friends will not want to miss!

Great Rivers Great Rivers Habitat Alliance P R EAlliance S E R V IPO N GBox T H50014 E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 Habitat PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 St. Louis, MO 63105

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Great Rivers Habitat Alliance W I N T E R

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P R E S E R V I N G T H E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 | VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 9900 Clayton Road Suite D St. Louis, MO 63124 Phone: 314-918-1007 E-mail: dstokes@grha.org E-mail: karen@grha.org Follow us on Twitter: @GRHAmo Follow us on Facebook: GreatRiversHabitatAlliance

Great Rivers Great Rivers Habitat Alliance Habitat AlliancePO Box 50014 PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 St. Louis, MO 63105 9900 Clayton Road Suite D 9900 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 63124 Suite D St. Louis, MO 63124 Phone: 314-918-1007 E-mail: dstokes@grha.org Phone: 314-918-1007 E-mail: karen@grha.org E-mail: dstokes@grha.org E-mail: karen@grha.org Follow us on Twitter: @GRHAmo Follow us on Twitter: Follow us on Facebook: @GRHAmo GreatRiversHabitatAlliance Follow us on Facebook: GreatRiversHabitatAlliance Great Rivers P R EAlliance S E R V I N G T H E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 Habitat P R E S E R V IPO N GBox T H50014 E 1 0 0 -Y E A R C O N F L U E N C E F L O O D P L A I N S I N C E 2 0 0 0 St. Louis, MO 63105

Partnership Gala with Ducks Unlimited: Another Great Event

Terrific weather, shared history, camaraderie, and fond remembrances of a great sportsman and conservationist combined to make the 2017 Great Rivers Habitat Alliance/Ducks Unlimited (DU) partnership event our largest and most successful gala yet. More than 300 people attended the dinner and auction on October 19 at the Danforth Center in St. Louis. The evening began with an outdoor cocktail party where attendees were able to experience their first view of the updated duck club maps, which were released that night.

After the outdoor reception, guests moved inside for an enjoyable dinner and presentations from Mike Checkett of DU and Andy Spann with Great Rivers. The entire evening was dedicated to the memory of August William “Bill” Hager, who oversaw the publication of the duck club map every decade for the past 40 years. The highlight of the evening was when Mr. Hager’s son, Rusty, addressed the room with recollections of his father’s great appreciation of conservation and his love of the outdoors.

The most anticipated part of the evening was the auction of Map # 1 for both the sixth printing of the St. Charles County duck club map and the inaugural printing of the Lincoln and Pike counties duck club map. Spirited bidding occurred for both maps, with the winning buyers purchasing a piece of conservation and hunting history that will stay in their families and clubs for a lifetime.

All the money raised at the event goes to support the conservation work of Ducks Unlimited and Great Rivers Habitat Alliance and our work to preserve the Confluence floodplain.