Heather is by training a plant ecologist, and by desire a poet, scientific illustrator and musician. While the “jack of all trades, master of none” notion might come to mind, Heather moreso embodies “jack of all trades, master of integrating disparate practices to suit her purpose”. As a very physically active person, field ecology is Heather’s preferred work, native prairie and parkland is her preferred ecological focus, and and conservation of species at risk and respect for “all our relations” is her goal. Time spent indoors is best spent drawing, writing, and recreating on the page her experiences in the field. Integrating the perceived oxymoron of art and science, Heather uses both to the end of documenting her experiences on the land on which she has the privilege to work. Heather uses printed and social media to share her work and encourage people to seek the beauty in the details to be found on native prairie and in the depths of the woodlands.
RECENT EXHIBITS & PRESENTATIONS
Upcoming: Puppets from the Wild - Art Gallery of Regina - June 2027
Bad Hair Day - brief puppet play - Iceland, July 2026
Grassland Plein Air Illustration Workshop - Blackdog Arts Studio - August, 2026
Guided Dawn Chorus experience for CFGA - Grassland National Park, June 2026
Field Sketching and Botanical Illustration Workshop - Cypress Hills, SK
Seeking the Dawn Chorus - Sound walk, Truax, SK
Finding Nature in Urban Environments - Sound walk, Regina, SK
Wild Sage Press Salon - Moving On - Regina, SK
Featured New Artist Exhibition and Book Reading - Esterhazy, SK
MAIN WORK PROJECTS - Current & Past
Grassland advisor - Grassland Learning and Knowledge Hub (multi-agency, led by University of Alberta) - 2024-present
Managed ground truth data collection for National Grassland Inventory - MB, SK, AB, and BC - Canadian Forage and Grassland Association -2022-2026
Adaptation of Online Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Tool for Saskatchewan and assisted with the same for British Columbia - 2020-2024
Species-at-risk stewardship management co-ordinator 2017-19
Develop management approach for species at risk on agricultural land - multi-agency pilot study
Ecosystem monitoring and management plan for invasive species - Sask Parks
Ectomycorrhizal fungi background study - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Forest plant-microbe competition and carbon-nitrogen tradeoffs research in Northern Boreal ecosystem - graduate research Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks
Effects of climate change on vegetation composition in Mixed Grass Prairie - graduate research Univ. of Toronto
Management of invasive and encroaching vegetation in pastures - Agriculture and Agri-food Canada
MEMBERSHIPS
Member - Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
Board member - Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan
Member - Nature Saskatchewan
EDUCATION
M.Sc. Univ. of Toronto: Effects of climate change on C3/C4 vegetation in Northern Mixed Grasslands
B.Sc. (Adv. Biol.), Univ. of Saskatchewan: Plant Ecology and Land Use and Environmental Studies
Botanical Illustration Certificate - Cornell University
Worlds of Puppets Wooden Puppet Academy - Nov. 2023 - present
Field Drenching on the Prairies. Photo: Jill Jensen