New details emerged Thursday about a 1,500-acre park on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River — accessible by Big River Crossing — that got started with a $1 million gift in 2021.
The park is now called Ducks Unlimited Park, leaders unveiled Thursday. Chris Ware, an attorney with conservation experience, was named the executive director of Big River Conservancy, the nonprofit that oversees Big River Crossing, Big River Trails, and Ducks Unlimited park.
Ducks Unlimited Park can be accessed from Downtown Memphis via Big River Crossing and via Bridgeport/Dacus Lake Road off of I-55 in West Memphis.
It now comprises 1,500 acres of land with a 7-mile paved trail loop and half-mile out-and-back trail with views of the Mississippi River, the Memphis skyline, and West Memphis agriculture. The park also connects to the Big River Levee Trail System, which includes more than 110 miles of riverside trails atop the Mississippi River’s levee system.
Ware is a native Memphian and has served on the board of Big River Parks Conservancy. He’s practiced law for 12 years, with a focus on estate and business planning and land conservation. Since 2017, Ware has worked with TennGreen, a statewide land conservancy, including work on securing the land for Ducks Unlimited Park.
Ware will now be responsible for day-to-day operations of the park and implementing its master plan. He will also manage easement acquisitions and serve as both the legal and financial representative for the nonprofit.
Memphis-based Ducks Unlimited, the country’s largest wetlands conservation organization and namesake of the park, is taking the lead on the conservation strategy. Over the coming years, that work will return the acquired land to its natural habitat as well as introduce new trails, a welcome pavilion with an outdoor classroom, restrooms, and an off-leash retriever training dog park. Ritchie Smith Associates is designing the master plan.
“Putting our expertise to work in our company’s own backyard is a significant opportunity for our organization — one we do not take lightly,” said Adam Putnam, CEO of Ducks Unlimited.