Board Member Profile – Danny Coyne

WILD SHEEP AMBASSADOR PROFILE

anny grew up in the small quaint community in the Similkameen Valley of Princeton BC. His family’s farm is nestled against the Similkameen River, and this is where he fell in love with his passion for wildlife and the outdoors. Some of his best memories are exploring the backcountry with his dad, Bob Coyne. Danny comes from a family rich in history within the Similkameen Valley. His 2nd great grandfather, John Fall Allison was the first European Settler in the Princeton area, where he staked gold, copper, and coal claims, and established the first cattle ranch. John Fall’s first wife, Danny’s 2nd great grandmother, Nora Yakumtikum of the Upper Similkameen First Nations, ran a pack train over the Cascades in the nineteenth century. Danny is a proud member of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and spending time in British Columbia’s backcountry is deep within his family’s heritage and traditions. During his backcountry adventures while growing up, his dad taught him everything he could about nature and wildlife. From identifying types of trees and plants, to how to locate animals and understand their behaviours. But most of all, he learnt the importance of being a steward of the land and the importance of habitat and wildlife conservation. It was instilled into Danny at any early age that it is our responsibility to take care of wildlife and our sensitive natural habitats. Danny believes that as hunters and anglers, whatever we take from our natural resources, it is our duty and honour to contribute back through conservation efforts. While growing up on his family’s farm, Danny participated in the local 4-H Lamb club. This is where he learnt the importance of responsible farming practices to ensure domestic livestock are cared for and treated properly, so they don’t negatively impact wildlife with diseases such as Movi. As a teenager, Danny spent many summers herding livestock in open range throughout the province. During these times he had the privilege to work with some of the best provincial vets while they worked together to test and treat the livestock for diseases before allowing them onto the open range. Danny now resides in Peachland with his wife, Marina Coyne, however his family still lives on the farm in Princeton that has been in their family for close to a century. His professional career as the Director of Operations for Budget Rent a Car has allowed him to travel the province of BC very thoroughly over the last 15 years. This has let him spend a lot of time fishing, hiking, and hunting in a wide variety of regions in the province. In his spare time, you will find Danny enjoying the outdoors with his wife Marina by his side. Danny is extremely passionate about introducing people to the outdoors and mentoring them on how to fish and hunt ethically. He acknowledges that a lot of people, especially in urban centers, did not have the opportunity like he did to grow up with fishing and hunting as part of their family’s tradition. Danny takes extreme pride when he has the privilege to introduce and mentor people to the outdoors. During the pandemic in 2020, Danny committed to a lifelong dream of his to seriously pursue wildlife photography. Wildlife photography came very natural to him as he was able to utilize his outdoorsmanship abilities to locate wildlife and pursue that perfect shot. Danny believes that the story he captures through his photos will help better connect people with wildlife. It will also help create greater awareness for the need of sciencebased conservation funding, efforts, and management. The more that people care about wildlife on our landscapes, the more they will want to get involved. Since Danny has started with wildlife photography, his photos have been auctioned off in wildlife conservation fundraisers, featured in art galleries, tourism info centers, news media outlets and many other platforms. Danny is deeply involved with several fish and wildlife conversation groups. He volunteers on numerous fish and wildlife conservation committees, along with being very active with volunteer work with groups such as the Wild Sheep Society of BC, Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance, BC Wildlife Federation, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, DFO Sport Fishing Advisory Board Region 3&8, the Oceola Fish & Game Club, and volunteering with the Ministry of Lands Forest & Natural Resources. Danny is very passionate in creating awareness for wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship with others, he tries to do this by capturing special wilderness moments through his lens. This is what he hopes to do with his wildlife photography. In 2022, Danny won the “Photographer of the Year” award with the Wild Sheep Society of BC and joined our ambassador team to help create awareness in protecting and enhancing wild sheep and their habitat in beautiful British Columbia. Danny’s favourite quote that he believes best defines his personal values is from Theodore Roosevelt “Wildlife & its

habitat cannot speak, so we must & we will!”