Save The Date: Thursday July 15-17, 2024

GREAT RIVERS HABITAT ALLIANCE

Learn from North Americas Top Wetland and Waterfowl Experts

INDOOR and OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS AT LOCAL CLUBS

ATTENDEE COST $1,000 ALL MEALS PROVIDED

MEETING LOCATION ELM POINT HOLIDAY INN

Contact Mike Checkett at mcheckett@grha.org or 901-277-9118 for more information on the 2023 workshop and to register.  

Workshop Objectives: Provide detailed information to waterfowl club owners, managers, and members about the fundamentals of habitat management options and techniques for private waterfowl hunting clubs.

A combination of in-class presentations and on-site field tours will incorporate and demonstrate the current state-of-understanding about waterfowl and wetland ecology and contemporary hunting strategies in a practical management format.

  

This workshop will focus primarily on moist-soil wetland types but also include landscape considerations for agriculture, forest, shrub-scrub, and emergent habitats, along with perspectives of the opportunity of individual properties in relation to their location, size, and management objectives.

Space is limited to a small group of attendees for this special inaugural workshop. Please sign up early to not be left out. - 2023 Agenda & Instructors

For more information and to sign up contact: Mike Checkett mcheckett@grha.org

 Register Here and Flyer / Agenda

2023 INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Mickey Heitmeyer: Owner Greenbrier Wetland Services, 40+ years’ experience with waterfowl and wetland ecology, and actual practicing wetland and hunting management, as research and teaching staff at University of Missouri and University of California - Davis, national Group Manager of Conservation Programs for Ducks Unlimited, Inc. including being the International Director of the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, and private consultant on over 200 waterfowl clubs and organization of more than 100 management workshops in 32 states, Canada, and Mexico. Dr. Heitmeyer is among the leading worldwide experts in migration and wintering waterfowl ecology, especially wintering mallards, and moist-soil and bottomland hardwood wetland habitats. He owns and manages 900 acres of private wetland habitat in southeast Missouri. He is the only person to have been inducted into 2 state waterfowler hall of fames – Arkansas in 2017 and California in 2018.

Doug Helmers: Retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Private Lands Coordinator for Iowa and former NRCS Administrator of Wetland Reserve Programs (WRP) for north-central Missouri. Doug has helped coordinate and participated in > 50 wetland management workshops. Doug is an expert in continental shorebird management and has worked with management on big river, prairie pothole, coastal and inland wetland systems. His work with WRP and private lands in Iowa has helped enhance > 20,000 acres of private wetlands, many in duck clubs.

Jody Graff: Owner of Graff Habitat LLC and a licensed real estate agent for Trophy Properties & Auction. Jody specializes in development and sales of private waterfowl hunting properties. He currently manages over 30 properties for absentee landowners, most of which are duck clubs in the Golden Triangle region of north-central Missouri. He has helped develop the hunting opportunities on more than 10,000 acres and has coordinated the sale of over 40 properties in Missouri since 2014. Jody is an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman.

Mike Checkett: Is the Executive Director of GRHA. Mike grew up hunting the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and is no stranger to the Confluence as the habitat manager at the Quacker and Over & Under hunt clubs. Mike has had a 25-year career in conservation as a Research Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Chief Waterfowl Biologist and Migratory Bird Program Leader at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and 18-year employee at Ducks Unlimited. Mike has experience with a wide array of research and management techniques from waterfowl banding to waterfowl and wetland energetics. He has hunted across North America completing six-year stint as a host for Ducks Unlimited TV.

Casey Bergthold: Is the Missouri Conservation Program Coordinator for Ducks Unlimited. Casey has over 15 years of experience in private land management and natural resource conservation with an emphasis on capacity and program development through public-private partnerships. Casey holds a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a M.S. in Biology from Tennessee Technological University.

Dan Crigler: Dan Crigler is currently a private land Fish and Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He previously worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation as a Wildlife Management Biologist and Private Land Conservationist. During his career in Missouri, Dan has worked successfully restoring wetlands, upland and bottomland forests and native grassland habitats on public and private land. He has provided leadership in building habitat restoration partnerships with willing landowners and many non-governmental organizations, state and federal agencies.