Living Land and Waters is excited to announce that the Barge Party is coming back to East Moline this summer! The party will be held on Thursday, June 13th, in East Moline, IL, at Living Lands and Water’s NEW Education Barge and NEW Headquarters! Enjoy a night of fun along the beautiful Mississippi River, including a fish fry and shrimp boil, BBQ, wine pull, silent auction, barge tours, cash bar, and live music! Barge Party Information: June 13th, 2023 | 5 – 9 PM Beacon Harbor East Moline, IL Parking and continuous shuttles will be available at John Deere Harvester Works. Ticket Options: Individual... Read More

Celebrate the natural wonders around us with works by Angel Lam, John Luther Adams, Franz Joseph Haydn, & Franz Schubert. Presented in Partnership with Living Lands & Waters, the program will feature: Emily Nash & Sabrina Tabby, violin Bruno Vaz da Silva, viola Hannah Holman, cello Kit Polen, bass Marian Lee, piano playing in a program that features: Franz Joseph Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No 5 “Lark”: 1. Allegro Moderato John Luther Adams, Dream of the Canyon Wren for string quartet Angel Lam, Secrets and Ice Garden Franz Schubert, Trout Quintet Saturday, January 20 –... Read More

The Raccoon Motel will host a Euchre Tournament benefiting LIVING LANDS AND WATERS on Wednesday, December 27 at 6pm. Entry fee: $10 Winners receive: Gift cards and other prizes to our top 3 teams! *For she’s 21+ Learn more: https://facebook.com/events/s/euchre-tournament-benefitting-/898515365223577/  Read More

One month after Quad-Cities environmentalist Chad Pregracke announced his ambitious Bison Bridge plans, the creative concept has earned over 27,000 supporters online, an endorsement from The Chicago Tribune editorial board, and a strong social-media shoutout from TV’s Mike Rowe. “This is VERY cool. My old friend Chad Pregracke – whom many of you will remember as the self-appointed garbageman of America’s rivers – is on a mission to create a brand new National Park on the Mississippi River,” Rowe (well-known for cable’s “Dirty Jobs”) posted on Facebook late last month... Read More

Living Lands and Waters’ Chad Pregracke talked at length with us about the new Bison Bridge project — a National Park slated for the old I-80 bridge, which is set to be replaced over the next six years. Pregracke told us about his ideas which led to the bridge, how the project got kicked off, and what comes next over the next 5-7 years of the project in the latest episode of our podcast QCUncut! Check out the link below and listen to the entire conversation to get the scoop! QC Uncut: Chad Pregracke (Episode #103)  Read More

The Bison Bridge Foundation debuted a new video today of the proposed site for the future National Park! The video displayed a panoramic view of the current bridge and the future spot for the National Park, as previously reported on QuadCities.com, which would include a bison crossing, breathtaking views and other amenities. The video can be seen here. The foundation also posted the following on its social media: What will be the location of the new I-80 Bridge? The Iowa and Illinois DOT is in the first phase of replacing the current I-80 Bridge, which includes an environmental study. They... Read More

The morning after he gave a visionary talk on repurposing the I-80 bridge across the Mississippi River, Chad Pregracke was back at the Rust Belt Friday to push the process of gathering public support for the planned Bison Bridge. Jake Ford, director of government affairs with the Quad Cities Chamber, led a morning legislative forum on the project with Pregracke, president/founder of Living Lands & Waters; Matthew Hughes, consultant with MRH Solutions, Kevin Marchek, retired engineer from the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Illinois state Sen. Neil Anderson. Before the meeting, Quad... Read More

BREAKING NEWS/EXPANDED INFORMATION: As reported first earlier on QuadCities.com, Mississippi River cleanup champion Chad Pregracke and a newly formed foundation unveiled conceptual plans tonight (March 18) for repurposing the I-80 bridge over the Mississippi River into a wildlife crossing and pedestrian parkway called Bison Bridge. Pregracke, president/founder of Living Lands & Waters, joined fellow members of the new Bison Bridge Foundation at East Moline’s Rust Belt to announce the grassroots effort and professional concept for the existing Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge. “I truly believe... Read More

EXCLUSIVE: River cleanup champion Chad Pregracke and a newly formed foundation unveiled conceptual plans tonight (March 18) for repurposing the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River into a wildlife crossing and pedestrian parkway called Bison Bridge. Pregracke, President & Founder of Living Lands & Waters, joined fellow members of the Bison Bridge Foundation in announcing the grassroots effort and professional concept for the existing Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge. Halfway between Chicago and Des Moines, it connects Illinois and Iowa in the Quad-Cities, the largest metropolitan... Read More

Since national hero Chad Pregracke founded East Moline-based Living Lands & Waters in 1998, the nonprofit has worked on removing trash from 24 rivers in 21 states. With the help of more than 115,000 volunteers, it’s removed 10.5 million pounds of debris from U.S. waterways. On Thursday, March 18, Pregracke will announce formation of a major new effort in the Quad-Cities, Bison Bridge Foundation, and the 90-minute event will be livestreamed from The Rust Belt in East Moline. Starting at 6:30 p.m. March 18, tune in live at https://bisonbridge.org/live-stream, where he and his team will discuss... Read More