Conservation officers with the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) remember Grant Coyour with a
great deal of affection - a man who was not only a great officer, but
also a friend with a big smile and endless enthusiasm for whatever he
was working on.
Coyour, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer Eric
Cox, died in 1999 while flying a moose telemetry survey in the Red
Lake Wildlife Management Area. |
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Coyour became a state conservation officer in 1988 to fulfill one of
his dreams. During his 11 years with DNR, he received numerous
letters praising his professionalism and his courteous and
compassionate personality. He was recognized for his valor during an
armed hostage situation, his outstanding work with personal
watercraft education and enforcement, his involvement with the Career
Mentor Program at Fond du Lac Community College, his involvement in
Paddle for Courage for the disabled and impaired, and his promotion
of the Take a Kid Fishing program.
He will be honored again next year for his dedication to wildlife,
water quality and recreation, when land southwest of Fergus Falls
will be donated to the DNR and become the Conservation Officer Grant
Coyour Memorial Wildlife Management Area.
"Grant was full of life and greatly enjoyed the outdoors and
protecting the resources," said Col. Mike Hamm, DNR Enforcement
Division chief. "He is still missed within the DNR Enforcement
family, and this is a wonderful tribute to his memory."
The 160-acre tract of land was mostly purchased with $123,000 in
court-ordered restitution following a series of violations of the
Wetland Conservation Act dating back to 1998. The remaining funds for
the purchase came from a group of wildlife volunteers including
Pheasants Forever Minnesota Habitat Fund, the Habitat Corridors
Partnership, local Pheasant Forever chapters, and conservation
groups. Once the project is finished, 28 acres of wet meadow and
shallow marsh will be restored, with the remainder being upland
restoration.
"This quarter section will be restored and provide benefits to all
current and future generations of Minnesotans," said Matt Holland,
Minnesota director of conservation for Pheasants Forever (PF).
Holland also noted that the project is "smack dab in the middle of a
complex of private and public land habitat projects." He expects once
the project is finished, it will attract a wide range of waterfowl,
songbirds, pheasants, prairie chickens and deer.
Dale Krystosek, Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) wetland
specialist, said DNR and BWSR recently entered into an agreement with
PF to purchase the land. Local PF chapters providing funding include
Otter Tail, Pelican River, and Clay County. The Fergus Falls Fish and
Game Club, the Bios De Sioux Watershed District and Ashby Coots
Unlimited also provided funding. The Habitat Corridors Partnership
funding is made possible by the Minnesota Environment and Natural
Resources Trust Fund.
"We're pleased to see such a positive outcome to the original
wetlands violations," Krystosek said. A formal dedication of the site
is expected to take place next year.
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