Two newly protected properties will connect the Lasqueti Island Ecological Reserve and Mount Trematon Nature Reserve, adding to more than 1,000 acres of protected land on Lasqueti Island.
The Jenkins Creek and Jenkins Bay properties cover more than 330 acres combined and protect rare forests, wetlands and a salmon-bearing stream, according to the BC Parks Foundation.
The foundation said Bruce Fleming-Smith and Domena Diesing contributed to the conservation through an ecological gift. Protection of Jenkins Bay also fulfils the wishes of the property’s late owner, Alfred “Al” Gaensbauer.
“This great success is another example of what can happen when people care about the land, work together and take a long-term view. Al spent decades looking after this land and wanted to see it protected. Domena and Bruce made a significant donation. Local conservationists stuck with this for more than a decade and our donor community once again stepped up. It’s another example of British Columbians working together to make a difference,” said Andy Day, CEO of the BC Parks Foundation.
The conservation adds to the foundation’s work on Lasqueti Island. It has worked to establish a separate 568-acre conservation area around Squitty Bay Provincial Park.
