John Cooper, Vietnam vet, former federal wildlife law enforcement agent, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks Secretary, and accomplished sportsman was presented with the Wildlife Management Institute's 2010 George Bird Grinnell Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Natural Resource Conservation. The award was conferred on Wednesday, March 24, during the 75th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Presenting the Grinnell Award, WMI President Steve Williams observed that "Coop's" remarkable career has been widely acknowledged and acclaimed. "His prior accolades had no bearing on consideration for this award. What did have bearing was and is John's undaunted dedication to the higher principles and practices of professional resource management."

Among his many professional assignments, Cooper chaired the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Law Enforcement and Executive committees. He was AFWA president in 2005-06, and he served the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Adaptive Harvest Management Group, North American Wetlands Council and Governing Board of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. "Most of us know Coop as an issues and action guy," said Williams, "and, by his own measure, his most challenging and rewarding achievement rested with passage of the landmark 2000 Water Resources Development Act by Congress, signed into law by President Clinton."

Among other highly noteworthy accomplishments, the Act contained a Title VI. In summary, it required the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to turn over wildlife and fisheries management responsibilities along the Missouri River Reservoirs to the State of South Dakota in all cases where Tribal lands are not involved. This transferred over 200,000 acres of wildlife management lands, Parks and Recreation Lands and boating access properties and allowed Game, Fish and Parks to put a Commission-approved long-term management plan in place. It also established a $108 Million Trust Fund in the U.S. Treasury to compensate South Dakota at long last under the 1958 Wildlife Restoration Act for its loss of terrestrial wildlife habitats due to the building of two of the mainstream Missouri River dams under the 1944 Flood Control Act. That Trust Fund capitalized in 2008 and the compounded interest from that is now paid in perpetuity directly to the Game, Fish and Parks for wildlife management and public access needs. Since the first payment in 2008, the Department has received approximately $5 million over the past?two years?to carry out its resource management responsibilities. And it has allowed for protection of riparian shoreline of the Missouri River reservoirs and remaining river stretches.

In 1982, John received the Wildlife Professional of the Year Award from the South Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society. He was the South Dakota Wildlife Federation Conservationist of the Year in 1992. In 1995, the Guy Bradley Law Enforcement Professional Award was given to Coop. Three years later he garnered the U.S. Forest Service Chief's Award for Conservation Leadership. Fittingly, in 2008, he received the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' top honor?the Seth Gordon Award.

"The Wildlife Management Institute is very pleased and proud to extend its George Bird Grinnell Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Natural Resource Conservation to John Cooper," concluded Williams. "We have no doubt that George Bird, himself, would have commended our selection and John for his stellar career to date."