Upcoming in

Visit and learn about the new Big Muddy Refuge Headquarters!

Presentation by Big Muddy Refuge Ranger Tim Haller

AT SPECIAL LOCATION – THE NEW REFUGE HEADQUARTERS!

Come visit the brand new Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge and catch up on all the great projects happening on the refuge statewide.

The Missouri River

Time and Place

Tuesday, November 14, 2017
7:00 pm

Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge Headquarters
View on map

Presentation by Tim Haller, Ranger at Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017

  • 7 p.m. presentation (6 p.m. Social Hour)
  • Special Location this Month! We will be at the BRAND NEW Big Muddy Refuge Office!
    It’s not in Rocheport, but is west of the Missouri River off the Overton/Wooldridge exit. See Directions Below. 
  • Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge Headquarters – 18500 Brady Lane, Boonville, Missouri 65233….Beware Google maps may send you strange places! Scroll down for directions and look for our little signs!

Presentation is FREE and open to the public!

You are welcome to bring snacks and soft drinks to share! (No alcoholic beverages please)

There’s been a lot going on at the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, including the completion of the new Refuge Headquarters on a bluff overlooking the Overton Bottoms! So we decided to move this month’s talk to the new digs.

Refuge Ranger Tim Haller will show us around the beautiful new building and fill us in on some of the new projects happening on the refuge statewide. From new property acquisitions to habitat projects and invasive species removal, there’s a lot going on.

The Refuge currently manages 15 separate units.  Twelve of these units are located along the final 367 miles of the Missouri River and fall under the Comprehensive Conservation Plan objectives.  Three additional units away from the river are long-time US Fish and Wildlife Service owned lands that the Refuge recently took under management to allow them to be open for public use (hunting, fishing, etc..)  With the new additions this year the Refuge is approaching 19,000 acres under management.
Earlier this year the Refuge moved into its new headquarters building.   The building was constructed by Fish and Wildlife Service employees through the “Maintenance Action Team”.  Over 70 maintenance personnel from across the nation joined the team to build the building.  Working in two-week shifts, depending upon the tasks, different sized crews worked 12 hour days to complete the work.   The team saved an estimated 1 million dollars versus the cost of contracting the building’s construction.
Big Muddy Office

The new headquarters for the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge Headquarters was completed in 2017.

Many challenges lie ahead for the Refuge. Exhibits for the lobby are currently under contract and expected to be complete within a year.  Improvements to the access road and a turn lane on highway 98 currently planned.   An overlook and nature trail near the headquarters also in the works.  All this while gaining ground and having some staff vacancies creates challenges indeed.

The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge headquarters is located 8 miles east of Boonville, Missouri…..Beware Google maps may send you strange places! Scroll down for directions and look for our little signs!

  • Take Interstate 70 to exit 111, (Highway 179 and 98 exit).
  • Head north at the exit.
  • Just 600 feet from the exit you reach the junction of 179 and 98 – turn left on 98.
  • Travel 1/2 mile and turn right on Brady Lane.
  • Continue straight ahead to the office when Brady Lane takes a sharp right.
  • 18500 Brady Lane, Boonville, Missouri 65233

The Big Muddy Speaker Series in Rocheport

is hosted by these wonderful partners.

Click here for a list of upcoming presentations»

Special thanks to Les Bourgeois Vineyards for giving us the opportunity to use their beautiful space overlooking the Missouri River. All speakers are presenting for free! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us!

The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Kansas City and St. Charles.

The Big Muddy Speaker Series is partially funded by the Mo. Dept. of Conservation.