Remembering Canmore biologist, park ranger and conservationist Carsten Heuer

Canmore conservationist Carsten Heuer, who was a biologist, park ranger, writer and activist, has died.

He had just turned 56 and was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy. He died peacefully with MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying).

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

One of these tasks included working as a reintroduction manager overseeing the return of bison to Banff.

“It’s a huge privilege,” Hoyer told CTV News in a 2021 interview. “I think it’s a dream come true for wildlife biologists to work on behalf of all Canadians to return Canada’s largest mammal to Canada’s first national park.”

This experience led to the creation of a book of essays. Buffaloto be published by Greystone Press in fall 2025.

Yellowstone–Yukon

In 1998-1999, Hoyer traveled 3,400 kilometers from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon to advocate for the creation of wildlife corridors.

Yellowstone-Yukon Initiative

In 2002, Hoyer and his partner Lynn Ellison followed a herd of 150,000 caribou across the Yukon and Alaska to highlight the threat of oil development.

In 2008, Hoyer and Ellison, along with their two-and-a-half-year-old son Zev, canoeed the Bow River across the country, passing through the settings of author Farley Mowat’s stories until they reached his home in Nova Scotia. They managed to meet Mowat and the whole thing turned into a film. Finding Farley, which won the top prize at the 2009 Banff Film Festival.

In 2020, Zev, then 15, canoed 2,100 kilometers from Canmore to a summer job in north-central Saskatchewan in response to the boredom of having to study online in the early days of the pandemic.

Karsten followed Zev’s journey that summer and even joined him to help him through some of the difficult sections of the route.

Zev Hoyer traveled thousands of kilometers, from Canmore to rural Saskatchewan, for his summer job.

“He’s transitioning from childhood to adulthood, so I think it’s really important to get to know yourself during that critical transition in life,” Karsten said.

“Big push for this (original Finding Farley) the trip was about hanging out with our son and letting him feel the rhythm of four months of being outdoors, camping, on the water,” Karsten said. “We just really wanted it to be something that was wired into his brain.”

Hoyer has received numerous awards for his advocacy and writing. He donated some of these awards Bow Valley Angagea group advocating for responsible mountain community development.

The group found itself at the center of a fight against a proposed major project called the Three Sisters Mountain Village.

“Inspirational Leader”

A tribute to Heuer was posted Thursday on the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative’s Facebook page.

“Carsten Heuer was a biologist, wildlife and landscape conservationist, storyteller, writer, husband, father, son and friend, and will be greatly missed by many.

“Carsen passed away peacefully on November 5th, the same way he lived his life – on his own terms. All of us at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative are saddened by the loss of an inspiring leader and mentor, a champion of our cause and a great friend.”

To make a donation in memory of Heuer, email [email protected].

A memorial service to celebrate Hoyer’s life will be held Nov. 16 at CreekSide Hall in downtown Canmore.

With files from CTV’s Timm Bruch, Kevin Fleming and Bill McFarlane.