River Group Offers Big Muddy Wildlife Float

First posted on 08-31-2007

Get a close-up look at the Missouri River and wildlife management efforts there.

ROCHEPORT, Mo.-If you have a canoe and an interest in learning more about the Missouri River, the Missouri River Communities Network (MRCN) has an event for you.

The MRCN will host the Big Muddy Wildlife Float Sept. 29. The 16-mile float will take participants from Franklin Island Conservation Area near Boonville to Katfish Katie’s campground downriver from Rocheport. The event is part recreation, part education and part public service.

MRCN Community Resource Specialist Brad Hargrave called the event “a unique opportunity to take a wildlife-themed, guided canoe trip on the Missouri River.”

The float will be punctuated by presentations from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Big Muddy. These presentations will cover management efforts on 22,000 acres of public land in the river’s flood plain.

“Agencies are spending a great deal of time, money and effort to manage

this land to promote wildlife habitat,” said Hargrave. “This is a chance to see what projects are being worked on, with presentations by agency staff members who are implementing the activities.”

Registration costs $30 per person. This includes a shuttle from Katfish Katy’s to Franklin Island. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available for additional cost. For more information, contact the MRCN, 200 Old 63 South, Suite 203, Columbia, MO 65201, (573) 256-2602, e-mail . The MRCN Website, http://www.moriver.org, also has information on the float.

Reservations must be postmarked no later than Sept. 24. Scholarships are available for a limited number of students.

Participants must furnish their own canoes. For canoe rental information, contact Mighty Mo Canoe Rental, 205 Central Street, Rocheport, MO 65279, (573) 698-3903, .

Missouri River Relief, an organization dedicated to keeping the river clean, will conduct a litter pick-up in conjunction with the float, followed by live music at Katfish Katy’s.

-Jim Low-

To check hunting and fishing seasons listed on the Outdoor Calendar, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/seasons
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