In 1981, Domena Diesing left Germany and used a grandmother’s inheritance to buy a 160‑acre parcel on Lasqueti Island. She was appalled by the clear‑cutting she saw on the West Coast and wanted untouched woodland. Over the next decades she and Bruce Fleming‑Smith wove through title deeds, gradually acquiring every remaining share. By 2026 they owned a sprawling 140‑acre mature forest that would later become a conservation landmark.
The couple joined forces with the BC Parks Foundation, signing an Ecological Gift that placed 140 acres under permanent public protection while retaining their 20‑acre home. Fleming‑Smith told the foundation’s board that the transfer would hand stewardship to future generations. The foundation’s press release noted the property’s rare Douglas‑fir and Arbutus communities, and its salmon‑feeding streams.
Simultaneously, the neighboring 190.6‑acre Jenkins Bay estate, owned by late warden Al Gaensbauer, was transferred after 15 years of planning. Gaensbauer, a lifelong steward, had collaborated with Sheila Harrington and Gordon Scott to secure the land. Their combined 330 acres now sit adjacent to the Lasqueti Island Ecological Reserve and Mount Trematon Nature Reserve, forming a continuous 1,000‑acre conservation corridor.
For local fishermen, the new protected zone means a clearer future for salmon runs that feed their families. A community elder, Maya Chen, said the forest will keep the waters healthy for generations. Residents celebrate the preservation as a tribute to the late warden’s lifelong devotion.
BC Parks will monitor the area through a biannual ecological survey, and the provincial government plans to seek federal funding to expand the corridor. The next public meeting on 15 November 2026 will decide on a management plan that includes community volunteer programs.