Big River Park Conservancy's big plans with Ducks Unlimited
The prominent wetland conservation organization Ducks Unlimited will lead strategic efforts to preserve and enhance 1,500 acres of floodplains directly across from Downtown Memphis. That area will be called Ducks Unlimited Park and will connect with other amenities in the Big River Trail system.
Dow McVean — co-founder of Big River Park Conservancy (BRPC), the lead organization overseeing the outdoors network, told MBJ that Memphis-based landscape designer Ritchie Smith Associates is about two-thirds finished with the master plan for Ducks Unlimited Park.
BRPC has now successfully raised $5 million to purchase the land, McVean said.
“We’re halfway into the overall planning stage,” McVean said. “But we would have never gotten to where we are now without Ducks Unlimited's involvement and their support to help with fundraising. We finally had the funds to buy all 1,500 acres. We’re going to continue with our fundraising to pay for the wetland restoration work and the other trails and amenities.
"We’ve got about $3.5 million worth of existing trails built," he continued. "And thanks to West Memphis, Marion, and Crittenden County, they allocated $2.9 million toward our next phase of trails. [Those] will tie the city of Marion into Big River Park, Big River Crossing, and Downtown Memphis."
The acquired 1,500 acres are to be privately managed by the Big River Park Conservancy and are slated to be open daily to the public. The land currently holds a seven-mile paved loop and a half-mile out and back trail, including views of the Mississippi River, the Memphis skyline, and farmland. Ducks Unlimited Park also links up with the Big River Trail system, which has over 110 miles of riverside trails atop the Mississippi River’s levee system.
BRPC executive director Chris Ware is overseeing the day-to-day operations and project oversight of Ducks Unlimited Park's master plan execution. He was also recently hired to manage easement acquisitions and serve as both the legal and financial representative for Ducks Unlimited.
The Memphis native has guided West Tennessee conservation and land stewardship endeavors since 2017 on behalf of TennGreen, a partner of Big River Park Conservancy, as their general counsel and project manager. Ware has practiced law for 12 years in the areas of estate and business planning and land conservation.
“Chris has been a critical asset to our master plan to this point, and the next phases of our vision couldn’t be in better hands,” McVean said in a press release.
The conservation work by Ducks Unlimited aims to return the acquired land to its natural habitat, as well as set in motion new trails, a pavilion with an outdoor classroom and restrooms, and institute an off-leash retriever training dog park.
Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam said the project is an opportunity to give back to the community, as well as highlight the importance of wetlands to wildlife, waterfowl, and people. He noted that the park is still open and can be used currently.
“This is a floodplain park that during the vast majority of the year is available for families and classes to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy the best view of the Memphis skyline,” Putnam said. “As we restore that floodplain to what it once was in terms of flooded bottomland, hardwood trees, and other plants, people will have a sense of what this area looked like at one time. And [they can] enjoy the tremendous trails and amenities [from] Big River Park Conservancy. … It’s a blend of hiking, biking, and educational trails [combined] with the ecological values that wetlands provide [such as] nutrient removal, clean water, and flood resiliency.”