Great Rivers Habitat Alliance W I N T E R
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Port of Lincoln Claims to be Moving Ahead
Policy Updates
Maryland Heights: Maryland Heights continues to move toward officially selecting and adopting a preferred option for development of the area north and west of Highway 141 and the Page Avenue Extension. Unfortunately, all of the proposals being considered are bad (though some worse than others). Once they have made the necessary internal stormwater improvements, they are expected to again move full-steam ahead on destroying thousands 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 floodplain would be shameful. GRHA will continue to oppose these plans in whatever way we can.
In early October, representatives of Port of Lincoln, USA announced on their Facebook page that the project in Lincoln County was ready to move forward. They stated that the project would begin applying for permits in three months and are hoping to begin construction within one year. If you have been following our work at Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA), you know how destructive this project will be to the surrounding area. The proposed Port of Lincoln is a 7,120-acre development in southeastern Lincoln County. While it will maintain some greenspace within the development area, the large majority of that land will be paved over as part of the development. It is all – and we mean all – currently within the irreplaceable floodplain. Can you imagine the flooding harms that will occur in this region if they are allowed to take 7,000 acres out of the floodplain and pave it over with concrete or asphalt? The traffic consequences of the project will also be devastating. It will result in an enormous increase in truck traffic all along the local highways in Lincoln County and St. Charles County. The primary vision for the port is to serve as a logistics, warehouse, and distribution
center, and that means truck and barge traffic clogging the highways and rivers. This project will cause enormous habitat destruction. There will be light and noise pollution 24-hours-a-day along America’s greatest river and busiest flyway. This section of Missouri is one of the most important agricultural and recreational hubs of the Midwest. It can serve those vital purposes while simultaneously serving as invaluable floodplain for water storage and habitat restoration. It cannot do any of those things if it is paved over. Please join Great Rivers Habitat Alliance in vehemently opposing this project proposal which will undoubtably destroy this land, its resources, and our heritage.
Sny Island Levee District: Great Rivers recently wrote to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and strongly encouraged the agency to take action against the Sny Island Levee District and other levee districts along the Mississippi River with improperly high levees. We have encouraged many other nonprofits to exert similar public pressure. FEMA is the agency with the authority to enforce the levee heights laws that several levee districts in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa have so far flouted. On a related note, the efforts to change Illinois’ floodplain development rules to allow these improperly high levees to be granted through the backdoor have been unsuccessful, at least for 2018.
Great Rivers Hosts Park CleanUp Along Meramec River
Supreme Court: GRHA is always working with our allied organizations, such as the National Wildlife Federation, American Rivers, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, and the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, to monitor environmental legislation, regulatory changes, and court decisions. We will continue to fight for sensible environmental policy, stronger regulations limiting floodplain development and new levees, and maintaining rules mandating clean water for all.
GRHA and Open Space Council would like to thank Missouri-American Water for giving us the grant to fund the clean-up, as well as Luby Equipment Company, which generously donated the construction equipment that allowed us to remove much of the heavier trash. Other agencies and businesses that supported the event include St. Louis County Parks, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, R & R Sanitation, and the Metropolitan Sewer District.
Upcoming Missouri 2019 Legislative Session: Great Rivers Habitat Alliances’ priorities include once again seeking policy changes that authorize the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to implement statewide floodplain rules. Another statutory change we support would allow rural Missouri counties to enact their own tighter floodplain development requirements if they so choose. Finally, we will continue to pressure for enforcement of violations of levee height rules by Missouri levee districts.
GRHA and The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region co-hosted a park clean-up at Robert Winter Park in south St. Louis County on October 27. The park, which is right along the Meramec River, has been closed to the public since the Flood of 1993. To put it bluntly, the park was a disaster. For the clean-up, 65 dedicated volunteers showed up to remove scores of tires, dozens of industrial barrels, and thousands of empty soda bottles and beer cans. The pictures of the event in this newsletter will tell the story better than words can describe.
W W W. G R H A . O R G
Wehde-N-Shoot
Pin Oak Farms II
Flyway Farm
Hawthorne Club
Keeteman
Prairie Prairie Flyway Club Flyaway Club
Fowl Play Farms
Argent Club
Schramm Farm
Mallard Duck Club #2 Mallard Duck Club #1 Backwoods
Duck True-Luck Point
True-Luck
Ol’ Blue
Cuivre Island Conservation Area
Richfield Club
Blind Luck
Drakes Landing
Orchard Farm Duck Club
The Roost At Maryland Hunting And Fishing, Inc.
Flooded Farms Duck Club
St. Louis Piscatorial Club
Mallard Farm Peruque Bend Farms
Creek Farm Club
Judith Ann Farms II
O&H Autumn Flight
Mel Factor
The Wet Spot Mississippi Mallards
Dillard Duck Club
Blue Wing Farm
Back Water Farms
Silver Farm
Purdy Farm Duck Club
Bethman’s Farm Duck Club
Belleau Farm
Mallard’s Nest
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 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.
Affy’s
Mallard Point Farms
Baldwin Land Co.
Dillard Atey Duck Farms Club
Paddlefoot St. Peters Duck Club Francis’s
Golden Eagle Hunt Club
Over & Under
Flying B
Purdy Farm Duck Club
Waldmeister Farm
Webfoot
1000 Oaks
Anderson Club
Poor Boy Duck Club Schlenke Heirs
Seven Oaks Farm Rothermich Club
Once Around
Deep Lake Club
Whistling Wings
Sunrise Duck Club
2017 Sixth Printing Edited by Tim Sheahan Designed by Mark Illig
Prairie Marsh North Winds
Photos by Fred Greenslade Delta Waterfowl
1956 First Printing Louis A. Hoerr II
N
D
E
X
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F
In St. Charles, Lincoln and Pike Counties
Old Pecan Hunt Club Stone Farm Green Wing
Photography By Fred Greenslade / Delta Waterfowl
Mid-Rivers Club Banded Brothers Pintail Farms Mid-Rivers Club
Black Dog Land Co., LLC
Fossick Farm
Upper Deck Northwinds
Goose Pasture Club
Mid-Rivers Club
Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge
ANNADA
Wetland Farms
Indian Hills Club The Legends Malinmor Hunt Club
Bryant Creek Farm
TAKEMNOW Duck Club Just-One-More Club North Club Chinkapin Farms, Inc. Hunt Club
Golden Eagle Farm Little Cannon North 40 Duck Club
Phat Mallard
High Ball
The Cronin Boys Duck Club
Annaberry
Sidener Club
Prairie Slough White Oak Ducks
Puree Farms Diamond Drake The P. Hole
Schulte Construction
Prairie Slough Conservation Area
Great Rivers Habitat Alliance PO Box 50014 St. Louis, MO 63105 314-918-1007
B.K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area
Hammerin Hole
ELSBERRY B.K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area
Dyer Farms Mallard Bend Hunting Club
Keiser Farms Lost River
Wingshoot Farms Duck Club Marre Farms
Twin Lakes
Fox Farms
Burke Farms
Nooker Duck Club
DUCK CLUBS IN LINCOLN AND PIKE COUNTY
Designed by Mark Illig
1977 Second Printing
1997 Fourth Printing
Duck Clubs
CLARKSVILLE
2017 Inaugural Printing
2007 Fifth Printing
1987 Third Printing
Printing by Repco Solutions
I
Edited by Tim Sheahan & David Stokes
3 Rivers Duck Club, Inc.
Cottonwood Club
The Limit Club
Missouri Valley Duck Club, Inc.
Dardenne Club
Tip Top Soil Farm
Set Wings Barwise Hunt Club
Westhoff Farms
Flying L Farms
Duck’s Rest
Duckaway Farms
Oro Farm South
Goose Creek
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Marais Temps Clair Duck Club
CBQ
Duckaway Farms
Judith Ann Farms I
Widgeon Club
Cuivre Club
Bruerewood Bottoms Hunt Club
Possum Ranch
Windfall Farms
Ten-Hi Farms
Bluffview Farm
Wren’s Ranch Pleasant Union Inc.
Orion
Six Gun Club
Flyway
Mallard’s Landing
High Line Farms
Ackerman Duck Club
Prairie Marsh Farms
Pin Oak
Possum Ranch
Pleasant Union
The Little Place
Oro Farm North
EMAR Farm
Marshland Game Preserve
Possum Ranch
Raccoon Ranch Club
Marais Beckett
Garbo Farms
Golden Eagle Wildlife Preserve
Old River Duck Club
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
M Co arie ns s T erv em atio ps n A Cla rea ir
Prairie Lake Club
Presidents Club
Brussels Duck Club
Stringer Club
Flying D’s
West Wind
If you are interested in purchasing one of the beautiful 2017 duck club maps, they are still available for sale. Both the 6th printing of the St. Charles County map and the inaugural Lincoln and Pike counties map are available. Each map is $400, which is tax deductible. (There is a discount if you purchase both maps.) Map sales will support the work of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, and Delta Waterfowl. They 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!
Cap-Au-Gris Farms
Pin Oak Farms
Hedgefield Farm
Duck Club Maps For Sale
Du ck Far away m s
V I S I T
D4 Outfitters ILLINOIS RIVER
Benelli Club
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
Hawthorne Club
StringerClub
Prairie
Keeteman
Prairie Flyway Club Flyaway Club
Prairie Lake Club
Fowl Play Farms Mallard Duck Club #2
Kelly Argent Club Schramm Farm Brown Lake
Argent Wildlife Club
Flying D’s Autumn Wings
Cuivre Island Conservation Area
Mallard Duck Club #1
© GREAT RIVERS HABITAT ALLIANCE 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
T W E N T Y
S E V E N T E E N
W I N T E R
President’s Column By Chris Hyams
develop within the floodplain. We all want growth and economic expansion. We all want jobs and higher wages for the hard-working people of this country. Yet, it is disconcerting to see vast swaths of the City of St. Louis or North St. Louis County that are ripe for redevelopment left behind and ignored by most (but not all). It is frustrating to see new developments being subsidized throughout West County while large lots along Manchester Road and elsewhere lie vacant and abandoned. (Please make a quick visit to Chesterfield Mall if you need further evidence.)
Jerry Garcia famously sang, “Every Silver Lining Has a Touch of Grey.” For many of us, the touch of grey in the tremendous economic growth of the past several years in our country has been the constant quest to
I see firsthand all of the economic activity taking place in this region as people expand their operations or invest in new ones. It is a wonderful thing. But the inability or unwillingness to use widely accepted land use strategies like basic zoning to protect our floodplains is baffling to me and many other supporters of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. The willingness of so many cities in our region to allow unbridled floodplain development despite the clear and obvious dangers it presents with added flooding is extremely frustrating. For years, GRHA has been warning of these dangers, and our region has seen and felt the worsening
Partnership with Ducks Unlimited Provides Another Terrific Night The weather on September 27 was beautiful as conservationists from throughout the St. Louisregion gathered at Logan University in Chesterfield for the fifth-annual partnership event of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA) and Ducks Unlimited (DU). Those in attendance enjoyed a brisk and balmy cocktail hour and silent auction on the terrace outside of Logan’s new Purser Center meeting space. As the sky darkened, everyone moved inside for a wonderful dinner and an auction program to support the shared mission of two great organizations. As part of the program, guests heard special presentations from Mike Checkett of DU and Chris Hyams with GRHA. The crowd also watched a video commemorating the Great Flood of 1993, which had finally receded almost exactly 25 years before our event. The night was dedicated to the memory of Paul von Gontard. Numerous von Gontard family members were in attendance to remember Mr. von Gontard and celebrate the family’s commitment to habitat and wildlife preservation. The camaraderie of the attendees, the delicious food, and the wide variety of auction items all combined to make the event a major success once again! All the money raised at the event will support the conservation work of Ducks Unlimited and Great Rivers Habitat Alliance to preserve the Confluence Floodplain. We hope many of you reading this will plan on joining us again next fall to support our shared mission as we honor the memory of a truly great sportsman, Red Schoendienst.
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flooding more and more. While we have had some successes, the drumbeat for cheap, flat floodplain development instead of higher land or redeveloping in previously built-up areas never ends. We want the economic growth to continue, but the floodplain destruction must stop. As hard as this fight may be, I remain proud to be president of an organization that seeks to conserve the magnificent rivers, wetlands, and floodplains that were the reason for St. Louis’ founding. 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 Floodplain. Donations Encouraged If you would like to help Great Rivers Habitat Alliance in our opposition to the Port of Lincoln proposal as well as our other goals, please visit our website at www.grha.org and donate today!
New GRHA Board Member
Please welcome our newest board member, Nancy Ylvisaker, to Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. Ylvisaker has long been active with The Nature Conservancy. She recently retired from her position as president of Bellefontaine Cemetery in North St. Louis. Ylvisaker officially joined our board in June and we are very excited that she has become a part of the GRHA family.
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E-mail: dstokes@grha.org 314-918-1007 E-mail: karen@grha.org dstokes@grha.org karen@grha.org Follow us on Twitter: @GRHAmo us on Twitter: Follow us on Facebook: mo GreatRiversHabitatAlliance us on Facebook: versHabitatAlliance
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