October 11, 2016
Included in this Issue
  • Fall/Winter Mississippi River Outlook - Drew Smith
  • Mississippi River Facts
  • MRLA Announcements & Upcoming Events
  • Letter from the MRLA President - by Frank Smith, Jr.
Announcements & Upcoming Events
***SAVE THE DATE***
MRLA Member Meeting - February 2017
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming MRLA member meeting!  We will have another fantastic line-up of speakers that you will not want to miss.  Stay tuned for more details!

MRLA Board Member Recommendations
In order to continue MRLA's foward momentum it is critical to expand the board and become more inclusive.  If you would like to serve on the board or if you have a board member recommendation, please submit your suggestion prior to   the February meeting.
Officers

Frank Smith, President
Bucky Murphy, Vice President
Chris Winter, Secretary
George Smith, Treasurer

Board Members

Ike Brunetti
Skip Graeber
Larry Garland
Curtis Hopkins
Milford Hough
Bruce Lewis
Rives Neblett
Buck Neely
Jamey Nicholas

Letter from the President
by Frank W. Smith, Jr.
After a highly successful August meeting in Greenville, your board is actively engaged in planning the next full meeting of MRLA (February), along with making decisions on several issues which could prove to be significant to our membership.  We are also involved in a campaign to offer membership to all clubs which will benefit from MRLA’s activities.

Current membership totals 73 clubs, representing 301,590 acres of recreational property.  Since our dues structure is designed to be light on all member clubs, it is imperative that we add members in order to cover our limited costs.  Any assistance you could provide in identifying perspective members or telling the MRLA story would be appreciated.

Your board has appointed a committee of highly qualified members to study the MS River flooding issue.  While extremely complicated and sensitive, this issue hits at the core of our property value, availability, and game management.  We will discuss our plans with the full membership at the February meeting.

Our Executive Director, Dana Jones, has done an excellent job of maintaining our records, managing our finances, and communicating with our membership.  The board thanks Dana for her efforts and professionalism.

During the next few weeks, we will reach out to each member club to ensure we have on record the individual whom you have designated to represent your club on MRLA affairs at the February meeting, at which we will cover important MRLA business items including board election.  We will strive to have every club represented at this important meeting.

 Feel free to contact me or any board members if you have any questions or suggestions.
Fall/Winter Mississippi River Outlook
by Drew Smith, P.E., Chief, Water Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District
With the 2016-2017 Deer Season upon us, many are wondering if history will repeat itself. For many, the 2015-2016 Deer Season was shortened along the Mississippi River due to an unprecedented winter flood that left many animals displaced and deer season cancellations up and down the river. As we move into another hunting season this year, the outlook is similar to what it was at this time last year. As we rely on the Nation Weather Service for forecasts on key gaging stations in the MS River Valley, our foresight extends only a few weeks into the future. This is primarily due to our location within the Mississippi River Valley. Rains over the Arkansas, Missouri, Upper Mississippi, and/or Lower Ohio River Basins give us lead time to predict stages on the Mississippi River in our region. Looking at historical events, initial conditions on the river are not an indication of what lay ahead. This was evident last hunting season – there was no signal in the fall that we would see a flood in late December. The months of July through October 2015 comprised one of the driest stretches our area has seen in a while. Given the unpredictable nature of weather patterns however, a series of unexpected storms can dramatically change the Mississippi River forecast within a matter of days.

As for the Mississippi River this year, we have had above average stages at the gage in Vicksburg for most of the year. However, aside from the high water in January of 2016 and one other rise in March, the river has been fairly quiet. Above-average river stages in the fall do not historically mean anything other than the navigation industry is happy and we can get this year’s harvest out of the ports with no issue. Looking forward, we are seeing normal weather patterns for this time of year as we come out of a slightly wetter than normal summer. Currently, there is minor flooding on some of the tributaries to the Upper Mississippi River; however, we don’t foresee any impacts from this flooding other than it may keep us at above average stages longer. We are moving into what is typically our driest part of the year in terms of average stage on the big river and we are expecting a gradual fall back towards average stages over the next couple months. But, as with most long range forecasts, the current outlook will depend on rain and where it falls.

Drew Smith, P.E.
Chief, Water Management
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Vicksburg District
601-631-5207

Mississippi River
Facts
  The widest part of the Mississippi River can be found at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, MN,
where it is wider than 11 miles.

   Sixty percent of all grain exported from the US is shipped on the Mississippi River through the
Port of New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana.

    It takes 90 days for a drop of water to travel the entire length of the Mississippi River.

    The deepest place on the Mississippi River is 200-feet deep and is located near Algiers Point in New Orleans.


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