Jerry Brunen

Jerry Brunen has served Alberta’s environmental community for 35 years. In 1987 with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Jerry successfully led the First Step Initiative, a continental program to manage migratory birds under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, surrounding the Buffalo Lake Moraine, creating a chain of migratory support for waterfowl. He negotiated and managed the restoration of Weed Lake by rallying Rocky View County, the Western Irrigation District and the Government of Alberta as conservation partners. Jerry was integral to the restoration of Frank Lake, with the participation of MD of Foothills County, High River, Okotoks, local landowners and the Government of Alberta. He managed DUC projects in the Hanna and Strathmore areas for many years and established DUC’s first ever award-winning youth education program for Alberta. Equally accomplished as an environmental volunteer, Jerry was a founding member and past chair of Western Sky Land Trust and is now the executive director. He is a director for Inside Education and American Friends of Canadian Land Trusts, and volunteers his time with the Strathmore Chapter of DUC and delivers wetland ecology education programs for school children.