Saturday would have been Shane Krogen's 28th wedding anniversary. But this year his grieving wife was presented with a flag which flew at half-staff at the state's capital, in honor of his public service.
Lori Long found some comfort from those who admired her brother's work and his love of the land.
"It was definitely difficult but I am very appreciative of the speakers and they represented his memory very well," Long said.
On Sept.12 Krogen and his team were cleaning up the Sequoia National Forest after an illegal marijuana operation. He was working out of a helicopter when he fell and died.
It was his last mission in a life dedicated to conserving our forests while removing dangerous chemicals trash left by growers.
"Shane embodied the term volunteer. He and his crew did things that nobody had the resources to do on their own. They filled a void with public service," Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said.
"We couldn't do a lot of work that we've done in way of reclamation missions and repairing the damage done to our resources by these unlawful marijuana cultivators by Shane and his crew," John Baker with California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
Family members said they will honor Krogen's life by continuing to preserve and protect the beautiful outdoors he loved so much.
"My brother's legacy will live on in the continued work that the people that he inspired will continue," Long said.
