Former President George W. Bush makes surprise visit to Branson

President George W. Bush made a surprise appearance Monday as keynote speaker at the Tracker Marine Conference at Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake. According to KY3, his father, George H.W. Bush, addressed the same convention 20 years ago in nearby Springfield.

Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Marine founder and CEO Johnny Morris invited the younger Bush, who has a record of protecting water quality and natural resources. While in the White House, Bush restored, improved or protected 3 million acres of wetlands and created wildlife habitats through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and other cooperative conservation efforts.

“We pioneered a new model of cooperative conservation in which government and private citizens and environmental advocates work together,” Bush told the crowd of attendees from Australia, Russia, China and South Africa.

The Morris and Bush families have been longtime friends, and the two shared fishing stories before lunch at Arnie’s Barn at Top of the Rock.
 
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