Volunteer Chris Clements holds endangered pallid sturgeon collected in the Missouri River near St. Louis. - FWS photo by Andy Plauck

Columbia FRO staff are pleased to welcome volunteer Chris Clemens, to the team. Clemens is a Texas native with a bachelors in engineering and a masters in military science, from New Mexico State University.

He worked as a nuclear propulsion officer on Navy surface ships before relocating to Missouri.

When staff started to warn him about the dangers of gillnetting in winter ice on the Missouri River, Chris informed us that the Navy had sent him to Alaska, where everything freezes on the deck. “The main difference between Alaska and Missouri is that, in the long days of Alaska, the sun shines almost 24 hours a day. Missouri’s winter is a biological rollercoaster. It’ll be very cold for a short time and then warm back up,” he said. 

Clemens’ main task at Columbia FRO is the development of a Friends Group to support the station. In addition, he is working on grants and assisting with field work.