Joey Payeur
Darryl McLeod followed in his father’s footsteps—and the path wound up lasting more than three-and-a-half decades.
Last month marked the end of McLeod’s 37-year career with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, 34 of which were spent here in Fort Frances.
The Red Lake native knew early in life what he wanted to do.
“My dad was an MNR pilot and we lived on the MNR air base in Geraldton,” recalled McLeod, who went on to spend his formative years in Kenora.
“He shared his passion for fishing and hunting with me, and that led me to the environmental side of things.
“He flew for everything from putting out forest fires to flying in foresters and biologists to doing moose and fish surveys,” he added.
“So I adopted a real respect for the outdoors at an early age.”
McLeod worked his first summer for the MNRF in Kenora, then the next two in Sioux Lookout, before arriving in Fort Frances in 1982.
He started here as a resource technician before being hired full-time as a fish and wildlife management officer in 1988.
Part of that role included enforcement of MNRF regulations, leading him to deal numerous times with people for whom environmental protection was not a top priority.
“There were a few moments, especially when it came to people being grossly over the limit of the number of walleye they had from Rainy Lake, that you’re not sure what their reasons were for doing these things and I wouldn’t want to speculate why,” he recounted.
“I guess it’s just a matter of people taking advantage of the situation and not considering the consequences.”
From there, McLeod moved on to becoming a management biologist in 1994, remaining in that role until his retirement, while also serving as acting area supervisor in 2013.
Favourite memories from his lengthy career are plentiful.
“Helping with the recovery of the Rainy Lake fishery was a big one,” McLeod said.
“The MNR had been dealing with walleye conservation issues dating back to the early 1960s, but in the mid-’80s it took a serious turn,” he noted.
“Between the community fish buy-out, coming up with the slot sizes for walleye, and the non-resident angler restructuring, it all helped the recovery, especially on the northern arm that really exceeded all expectations.
“I got to do the easy part, the biology,” McLeod said.
“It was a big team effort that made all this happen,” he stressed.
McLeod also took pride in his contributions to lake sturgeon research on Rainy Lake, the Seine River, and the Namakan River and reservoir, which was facing a proposed hydroelectric construction project.
“It was a real pristine river that we had no information at all on,” he said.
“For six years, it was really interesting work that we did there . . . the collaborative work that we did with the [Department of Natural Resources] folks in Minnesota made working in this district so rewarding.”
McLeod said the old saying around the office was that one doesn’t get rich financially working for the MNRF. But that the richness comes in the friendships made among co-workers and clients.
“We call it our MNR family and it really is,” he stressed.
“It’s a privilege to work with these people and that showed at my retirement party on Oct. 28 which, in true MNR fashion, was both a good party and a good roast of myself,” laughed McLeod, who had been honoured multiple times for his long and illustrious service.
For instance, he received the Rick Morgan Professional Award from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in 2005, given to a worthy resource professional who has contributed significantly to resource management in the province.
McLeod also earned the Kallemyn Award in 2014 from the Lake of the Woods Sustainability Foundation, which recognizes a resource professional involved with the Rainy Lake/Lake of the Woods watershed.
Meanwhile, the road ahead is wide open for McLeod when it comes to writing the next chapter of his life’s journey.
“I’m in wait-and-see mode right now just looking for some part-time work for the next few years,” he remarked.
“I’m pursuing a couple of different things right now.”
McLeod doesn’t anticipate his legacy as a champion of the environment to be monumental.
“I would like to be remembered that I was able to make a difference in our natural resources in the district and hopefully that’s true,” he said.
“If someone can say they have made a difference in their career, that’s a success.”
