Al Buchert Biography

Al Buchert is a Conservation Officer Pilot for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.    Al’s interest in aviation was kindled at a young age but really took off during his first few years as a field officer in southern Minnesota.  “Our Regional Enforcement Pilot (and past IANRP President) Dick Stoltman would fly in and take me up to document illegal activity or to assess waterfowl populations.  The airplane was a tremendous tool for obtaining timely and valuable information.  I recognized the aviation program was making a unique and important contribution to the management and protection of our natural resources and I was encouraged by Dick and our other pilots to become part of the team.”  12 of Al’s past 19 years with the department have been in the aviation section, which is administered by the Division of Enforcement.  He is a licensed peace officer and has accumulated nearly 5000 hours flying natural resource and law enforcement missions, mostly in the northeastern portion of the state.  The majority of his flight time is spent flying a Cessna 185 that is equipped appropriately for the missions and seasons in the “land of 10,000 lakes”.  Al and his wife Karen have two children, Spencer and Katie.  They live in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and enjoy a wide variety of out door activities.