Where Fire Breathes Life: Meet Kerry Hecker, Champion of Canada’s Prairie Grasslands
Kerry Hecker,
Wildlife Area Manager, Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area and Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
Canadian Wildlife Service
(Environment and Climate Change Canada.)
Few people embody the spirit of the prairie quite like Kerry Hecker. Conservationist, fire practitioner, community leader, and outdoor enthusiast, Kerry has dedicated her career to understanding, protecting, and restoring Saskatchewan's grassland ecosystems. Her work proves that sometimes the most powerful force for conservation is one that many people fear: Fire.
Photo Credit: Kerry Hecker
Background and Expertise
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Kerry's connection to the land runs deep. Trained as an entomologist with a Master of Science from Carleton University, and later building expertise as a botanist, she has evolved into what she fondly describes as a prairie ecology generalist. Over the course of her career, she has worked across an impressive range of disciplines, including native prairie restoration, riparian health, invasive species management, grazing systems, federal protected areas stewardship, and First Nations reconciliation.
Today, Kerry serves as Wildlife Area Manager for Last Mountain Lake and Stalwart National Wildlife Areas with the Canadian Wildlife Service, part of Environment and Climate Change Canada. In this role, no two days are alike. One day may involve overseeing infrastructure projects or conservation agreements; the next could be spent monitoring wildlife populations through field surveys, trail cameras, acoustic monitoring equipment, or direct observation in the field.
While protecting habitat is at the heart of her work, Kerry is equally passionate about fostering connections between people and the landscapes they share. She works closely with neighbouring First Nations, supports local partnership powwows, and helps create meaningful opportunities for public engagement through educational signage, outreach initiatives, and annual mentored adult hunts.
A key component of Kerry's conservation toolkit is prescribed fire. Across Canada's prairies, fire has shaped landscapes for thousands of years, promoting biodiversity, suppressing invasive species, and renewing native grasslands. Kerry and her team use carefully planned spring and fall prescribed burns alongside strategic grazing programs and targeted invasive species treatments to maintain healthy, resilient ecosystems.
Kerry Hecker monitors a prescribed fire on Saskatchewan's native prairie landscape. As a Wildlife Area Manager and Incident Commander, Kerry uses prescribed fire to restore habitat, reduce invasive species, and support the long-term health and resilience of prairie ecosystems.
Photo Credit: Kerry Hecker
The Role of Prescribed Fire
As an Incident Commander, Kerry plays a pivotal leadership role in ensuring burns are conducted safely and effectively. Her commitment to fire stewardship extends beyond her own jurisdiction. She is also a founding member of the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange (CPPFE), helping build a culture of training, preparedness, and collaboration among fire practitioners working to return beneficial fire to prairie landscapes.
Off the Fireline
When she's not managing habitats or directing prescribed fires, Kerry embraces the outdoors at every opportunity. An avid hiker, canoeist, cyclist, runner, hunter, and cross-country skier, she finds joy in exploring the landscapes she works so hard to protect. At home, she enjoys gardening, growing her own food, and gathering around a campfire with her family, which includes her husband, two teenage sons, a Deutsch Drahthaar, a yellow Labrador, and five backyard chickens.
Kerry's commitment to community is every bit as remarkable as her dedication to conservation. She volunteers as a Canadian Firearms Safety instructor, Saskatchewan Hunter Safety instructor, Scouts Canada leader, and provincial-level biathlon coach. Those who know her best also appreciate her quick wit, love of good cooking, enthusiasm for a well-crafted pun, and enduring affection for Monty Python.
Through science, stewardship, and fire, Kerry Hecker is helping shape the future of Canada's prairie landscapes. Her work demonstrates that effective conservation isn't just about protecting land. It's about understanding it, working with it, and sometimes, quite literally, reigniting its natural rhythms.