Chad Pregracke: Native son of the Mississippi River

Chad Pregracke is no stranger to the Mississippi River. Growing up in the Quad Cities, Pregracke has always encountered the shorelines with his river enthusiast’s family. He is the founder and president of Living Lands and Waters.

According to George Spyros’s article Chad Pregracke Biography: Founder & President of Living Lands & Waters, “while attending high school and college he worked as a commercial shell diver, a commercial fisherman, and barge hand during the summers.” It was during that time that Pregracke noticed the poor conditions of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers due to the accumulation of trash on the shorelines.

In 1998, Pregracke founded the non-profit environmental organization, Living Lands and Waters, which is based out of East Moline, Ill. According to the Living Lands and Waters website the organization is “committed to the beautification and restoration of our land’s rivers.” Living Lands and Waters offer volunteer work through its Riverbottom Forest Restoration and Adopt-a-Mississippi River Mile programs.

In 2002, Pregracke was awarded the Jefferson Award, which is equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize for public service. Also in the same year as stated by George Spyro Pregracke “was invited by the Coca-Cola Company to attend the World Summit on sustainable Environments in Johannesburg, South Africa.”

Pregracke received an honorary doctorate from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa for his work in education and the environment May 2003.

Pregracke other accomplishments:

• · The Social Entrepreneurship Award from the Manhattan Institute of Public Policy (2003)
• · Appeared in Readers Digest (2003)
• · Biography aired on Quad Cities PBS station (2003)
• · Quad Cities Area Leaders under 40 award (2004)
• · Black Hawk College Foundation Seventh annual “What’s Right with the Region!” award (2004)
• · Achievement in Conservation award (2005)
• · Environmental Stewardship Award
• · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award
• · People Are Today’s Heroes (PATH) Award
• · Named the 2005 Quad Citian of the Year by Best of the Quad Cities 2005 River Cities’ Readers Poll

Pregracke also is the author of the book From the Bottom Up: One Man’s Crusade to Clean America’s Rivers in 2007. The book is about the creation of Living Lands and Waters.

MSNBC news stated “Pregracke estimates that he and his crew have removed more than 2 million pounds of trash from the river since he started on a shoestring budget in 1997.” Living Lands and Waters now have a $600,000 annual budget.