(Union City, Tennessee, September 5, 2023) — Discovery Park of America’s upcoming permanent addition, “Duck, Duck, Goose: Waterfowl of the Mississippi Flyway,” is being built for $1.1 million and includes both indoor and outdoor experiences focused on waterfowl. It will open to the public on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

Significant gifts for the exhibit have been made in memory of William A. (Bill) Homra and his son, Allen Homra, both businessmen who had a passion for the sport of duck hunting. Ducks Unlimited, the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation is a premier sponsor of the exhibit, which was designed and is being built by the Louisville, Kentucky firm Solid Light. Ducks Unlimited has been instrumental in providing direction and content for the entire exhibit.

New contributions have been made by Joan Homra, the Family of Dee and Zac Isaac, Lisa Sears, Final Flight Outfitters, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, Walmart and Higdon Outdoors. For a complete list of all donors, visit DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com/duck.

“Duck, Duck, Goose: Waterfowl of the Mississippi Flyway” uses hands-on experiences, state-of-the-art technology and beautiful wildlife photography to explore the biology, identification and habitats of ducks, geese and other waterfowl. Guests will also discover how a combination of federal land protections and private land conservation has united the government, landowners, hunters, scientists, conservationists and other nature lovers in protecting and restoring waterfowl populations and the land needed for them to thrive.

“Waterfowl have sustained human life for ages. But, as we’ve learned in creating this exhibit, in the 1930s, market hunting and dramatic habitat changes nearly ended that story,” said Jennifer Wildes, Discovery Park’s senior director of exhibits and collections. “One of the stories told here will be how conservation efforts were sparked by unlikely heroes—the hunters themselves. I’m excited we’ll be sharing that with millions of visitors in the coming years. Many will be learning about conservation and waterfowl hunting for the first time.”

One section of the exhibit is being built outside in one of Discovery Park’s existing cabins. Guests will discover how The Maltese Cross Cabin and the Dakota Badlands ignited President Theodore Roosevelt’s lifelong passion for preserving America’s natural heritage. Ultimately, Roosevelt used his power as president to establish 150 national forests, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks and 18 national monuments on over 230 million acres of public land.

Another cabin includes displays featuring the past, present and future of decoys, goose and duck calls, guns and other gear. Higdon Outdoors, a leading manufacturer of waterfowl hunting and outdoor products headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky, is providing the display of duck and goose decoys. “Our company is deeply rooted and grounded in the iconic, tradition-rich area of Ballard County Kentucky,” said Ben Higdon, vice president and co-owner of Higdon Outdoors. “We’re grateful to be able to tell some of that story to Discovery Park’s visitors through our collection of decoys from the past and present.”

The Tennessee Wildlife Federation has been working with exhibit designers on artifacts and memorabilia that tell the story of Akers v. Resor, now considered one of the greatest victories in the history of the American grassroots conservation movement. In 1970, four duck hunters who were part owners of two hunting clubs—the Davy Crockett Hunt Club and the Middle Fork Hunt Club—on the Obion River in Northwest Tennessee began a legal battle with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep the river from being destroyed by dredging. After 15 years, the battle was won when United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Bailey Brown ruled in favor of the plantiffs. The long-term impact of the case was that Gov. Don Sundquist firmly established the state of Tennessee’s official policy as “no channelization”, announcing in his State of the State address that “we are going to let rivers in West Tennessee run free again”.

“Duck, Duck, Goose: Waterfowl of the Mississippi Flyway” will open to the public on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, and will be free with admission.

Visit DiscoveryParkofAmerica.com/duck to learn more about the exhibit. To partner with Discovery Park on this exhibit or for more information, email Mary Nita Bondurant at mbondurant@discoveryparkofamerica.com or call 731-676-3556.