Byron Clements of Genoa, Wis., received the River Guardian Award from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge at a ceremony held January 26.
The award was presented to Clements by Refuge Manager Don Hultman during an annual volunteer appreciation banquet sponsored by the McGregor District of the refuge.
Byron, 76, was honored for his countless rescues of life and property on the refuge over the past 50-plus years in the vicinity of the family-owned and operated Clements Fishing Barge below Lock and Dam 8.
During those years, uncommon rescues became a common practice for Clements.
In 1957 it was a rescue of two men who capsized their small Jon boat in a fierce storm. In 1965 it was a month’s work with his boat helping to shore up the dike at Lock and Dam 8 during the infamous flood.
In 1971 he used his boat to help guide to safety a runaway barge hell-bent for the dam at Genoa. In 1981 it was the rescue of a boat trapped in an ice flow and on the verge of capsizing. In 1998 it was the rescue of a boat and passengers without lifejackets capsized by 4-foot waves.
Just last summer Byron and his son helped raise a partially-sunk 35-foot cruiser which would have leaked 300 gallons of fuel and oil into the river without their intervention.
“Byron Clements is one of those amazing people who care deeply about the river and the people who use it, a caring reflected more in action than in words,” according to Refuge Manager Don Hultman.
Born in 1931 in Genoa, Byron’s river roots go deep. His father was a commercial fisherman. His grandfather was a lumberjack who built and rode rafts of timber down the Mississippi.
In 1937, Byron’s father built the Clements Fishing Barge which provides anglers safe and successful fishing below the dam. Byron ran the operation for decades, interrupted only by three years of service in the Army during the Korean War. Byron’s son Mark now runs the fishing barge, but Byron can still be seen on board many days, and he still helps with rescues now led by Mark.
Besides the fishing business, Byron was a licensed river boat captain, served as a river commissioner, and in the 1980s was a strong voice in getting the successful Environmental Management Program established.
The River Guardian Award recognizes citizens who have demonstrated outstanding actions in the service to people and/or the resources of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge. This is the first such awarded granted.
With an estimated 3.7 million annual visitors, the “Upper Miss” Refuge is the most visited in the U.S., exceeding levels at most national parks. It also has the added complexity of a major navigation system, including 11 locks and dams within its boundary. It is also a world-class fish and wildlife area which harbors 306 species of birds; 119 species of fish; more than 160 active bald eagle nests; thousands of heron and egret nests; spectacular concentrations of canvasback ducks, tundra swans, and white pelicans; and several threatened or endangered species. The refuge was established in 1924.
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