Canmore wildlife and landscape defender Karsten Heuer dies peacefully at 56

Canmore conservationist Karsten Heuer, who was a biologist, park ranger, author and activist, has died.

Canmore conservationist Karsten Heuer, who was a biologist, park ranger, author and activist, has died.

He just turned 56 and had been diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy. He died peacefully with MAiD (Medical Assistance in Death).

Born and raised in Calgary, Heuer spent every weekend with his family hiking and fishing in the mountains, which prompted him to fall in love with being outdoors. He studied ecology at the University of Calgary, then moved to Canmore and spent 30 years working as a wildlife biologist for Parks Canada.

One of those tasks included working as the reintroduction manager monitoring the return of the bison to Banff.

“It’s a tremendous privilege,” Heuer said in a 2021 interview with CTV News. “I think it’s a wildlife biologists’ dream come true to work on behalf of all Canadians to bring back what is Canada’s largest mammal to Canada’s first national park.”

The experience led to a book of essays, Buffaloed, which will be published by Greystone Press in the fall of 2025.

In 1998-99, Heuer hiked 3,400 kilometres from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon, to promote the need for wildlife corridors.