Domena Diesing and Bruce Fleming-Smith donated a significant portion of their property's value under Canada's Ecological Gift program to conserve 140 acres of mature forest, retaining a 20-acre parcel for their home. The effort merged with the neighboring 190.6-acre Jenkins Bay acquisition, uniting over 330 acres of newly secured wilderness. This joint venture connects with the Mount Trematon Nature Reserve and the Lasqueti Island Ecological Reserve to form a contiguous protected zone. Crucially, the Jenkins Creek acreage nourishes seasonal waterways that flow toward Jenkins Cove to maintain vital salmon habitats.
Key points
Private landowners leveraged federal conservation incentives to protect rare Salish Sea e…: Private landowners leveraged federal conservation incentives to protect rare Salish Sea environments from future development.
Combining the Jenkins Creek and Jenkins Bay properties fulfilled a fifteen-year conservat…: Combining the Jenkins Creek and Jenkins Bay properties fulfilled a fifteen-year conservation vision initiated by the late Alfred Gaensbauer.
The protected landscape preserves British Columbia's Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem along…: The protected landscape preserves British Columbia's Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem along with vital seasonal streams that feed downstream salmon habitats.
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A woman who used her grandmother’s inheritance to buy a piece of land on Lasqueti Island 45 years ago has helped create a large, connected conservation area in Canada's Salish Sea. Domena Diesing and her partner, Bruce Fleming-Smith, worked with the BC Parks Foundation to permanently protect 140 acres of mature forest on their property. They kept their 20-acre home and surrounding land. The deal was combined with the purchase of the neighbouring 190.6-acre Jenkins Bay property, bringing the total newly protected land to more than 330 acres. By connecting these two properties with the existing Lasqueti Island Ecological Reserve and Mount Trematon Nature Reserve, conservation groups have created a continuous protected area covering more than 1,000 acres. According to an official announcement published by the BC Parks Foundation on 1 October 2026, this connected area is one of the largest protected natural landscapes in the Salish Sea region.
Investing an inheritance to save a forest
The story of the land's protection began in 1981, when Diesing moved to Canada's West Coast from Germany in search of a place to…
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