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Big Muddy Refuge – Where water and wildlife meet

Presentation by Jason Wilson, Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge Manager

Jason Wilson is the new manager of the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge. Jason will discuss the refuge’s mission, the lands they manage, the challenges facing the Refuge, and how the refuge fits into the big picture of resource management and restoration in Missouri.

The Missouri River

Time and Place

Wednesday, August 14, 2019
7:00 pm

Big A's on the Riverfront
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Presentation by  Jason Wilson, Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge Manager

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

6. p.m. Social Hour at Big A’s on the Riverfront
7:00 p.m. Presentation

At Big A’s on the Riverfront (in the back room)
308 N Main St. –  St Charles, MO
(directions below)

Presentation is FREE and open to the public! 

Hosted by Greenway Network

Jason Wilson is the new manager of the Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge. Jason will discuss the refuge’s mission, the lands they manage, the challenges facing the Refuge, and how the refuge fits into the big picture of resource management and restoration in Missouri.

The Big Muddy National Fish & 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 the Refuge is approaching 19,000 acres under management. Jason Wilson also oversees the Swan Lake and Loess Bluff Refuges.
The refuge was started following the 1993 flood, when Congress authorized the purchase of flood-damaged lands from willing sellers. The idea was to reduce flood risk by reconnecting some floodplains to floodwaters (thereby reducing local river crests) and taking frequently flooded properties out of agricultural production. The refuge also provides valuable forest, prairie and wetland habitat along the Missouri River corridor.
In 2017 the Refuge staff moved into its new headquarters building at the Overton Bottoms Unit of the refuge near Boonville, MO.   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.

Directions

To Big A’s on the Riverfront, our host for the Speaker Series.

To get there from I-70

  • Take I-70 to exit 229B – the 5th St. Exit
  • Merge onto 5th St. headed north toward St. Charles.
  • After about 1 mile, turn right on Monroe St.
  • Turn left onto N. Main St.
  • Big A’s will be on your right (308 N. Main St.) Additional parking is available in the rear.
  • View on Google Maps.

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The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles

is hosted by these wonderful partners:

All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!

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

A special thank you to Greg Poleski of Greenway Network for making this happen!

The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Greenway Network, the Big Muddy Speaker Series or any of the partners that support this public forum. The Big Muddy Speaker Series believes that hearing diverse perspectives is a crucial building block for an informed public.