In 1999, a newspaper clipping about the Nature Trust captured the attention of Klaus Jensen. At that time, the Nature Trust was a mere five years old and just sharing our first conservation wins, but those early years were already creating an impact on nature in Nova Scotia and Klaus was inspired. Twenty-four years later we’re honored to say that he’s still very much part of the Nature Trust family.

Klaus’ family hailed from Denmark, but they immigrated to the United States when he was just a child, and he was raised along the Oregon coastline, learning to love nature. “The world was a different place then. People spent more time outdoors and enjoyed nature and the awe-inspiring world we live in. It was a time before TV and the internet consumed so much of our daily activity”, Klaus says.

For Klaus, the great outdoors and the natural environment has been central to his career, hobbies, interests and even his family. Klaus raised his family in the Annapolis Valley surrounded by nature, after securing a Research Scientist position at Agriculture Canada’s Research and Development Centre in Kentville. It was a career that married his passion for nature with the practicalities of science, and allowed his family to live in one of the most picturesque parts of the province. “Science and a love of nature must run in the family genes”, he says, “as one of our daughters is now a wetlands biologist!”

Klaus made his first financial donation to the Nature Trust in 1999. “I’ve been so impressed with the Nature Trust’s leadership over the years, in particular the 100 Wild Islands Campaign and the successes in the Mabou Highlands”. As he watched the organization respond to conservation opportunities and become more strategic, he recognized the important value of unrestricted donations to help the organization’s work.  Klaus and his wife, Joan, became one of our first Champions of the Wild, providing the Nature Trust with multi–year pledges of unrestricted funding to support the on-going activities of the organization. And more recently, Klaus and Joan have shared their interest in leaving a lasting legacy for nature with a gift in their wills.

Klaus’s commitment to saving and protecting our natural heritage led him to donate his time and talents as well! As an avid outdoorsman, he is a skilled hiker and navigator and he has served as one of our valued volunteer Property Guardian, providing a watchful eye on the challenging terrains of the Gold River Lake and St. Croix Conservation Lands.

In 2019, he was also instrumental in helping the Nature Trust re-design the landscaping around our new office, providing many of the native plants (and expertise) that now provide a beautiful natural space at Nature’s House in downtown Dartmouth. Recently, he joined a group of other long-time volunteers for a gardening workshop in the bountiful backyard garden that has come to life since he helped with the original plantings just four years ago.

Today, Klaus is retired but his enthusiasm and passion for nature are keeping him busy. He continues to be an avid gardener and enjoys kayaking on our province’s beautiful lakes and wide rivers, with his favourite locations along the Eastern Shore and Kejimkujik. He’s also designing and building a new home with wood that has been harvested from his personal property. “It will be a perfect way to integrate nature into a family hub.”

Klaus and Joan have made their mark on nature, and their legacy will continue for future generations. We are so grateful for their thoughtful gifts of hands, hearts and financial support. They have helped save thousands of acres of coastal cliffs and meadows, old-growth hardwood forests, brooks, and ravines – all now safeguarded and protected in perpetuity!

For more information about Legacy Giving with the Nova Scotia Nature Trust, please contact Barbara@nsnt.ca.