Mike Blaesing’s happy place is being outside and working with his hands. Luckily, it also happens to be Nova Scotia, where Mike has built a special relationship with the Nature Trust as a generous donor and most valuable volunteer.

Originally from Ontario, Mike and his family first moved to the province in 1994 when he was asked to transfer to Halifax as a banker with TD Bank in Toronto. “It was like heaven for us, coming here,” Mike recalls. “People took the time to acknowledge and talk to each other, and nature was so accessible.” Being called back to Toronto five years later proved difficult. “The stress of the big city, the long commutes – we weren’t happy. I requested to return to Nova Scotia, and thankfully, in only 3 months, we were able to move again and have called it home ever since.”

After raising their two boys, Mike and his wife Debbie have now settled into retired life on their large lakefront property in the Hammonds Plains area. “Living here feels like we are camping every day,” says Mike. “The bullfrogs making a racket and keeping us up, the Canada Geese stopping by, and just last night, a loon singing their haunting cry; we just love it.”

Hearing about the Nature Trust, Mike and Debbie felt compelled to lend their support and soon became monthly donors. “My parents immigrated from Germany in 1953 and loved Canada. They shared their appreciation for the beauty of the country, taking us tenting, hiking, and fishing. My father worked six days a week, but every Sunday was spent together as a family outdoors, often at Pinery Provincial Park, close to where we lived in Kitchener,” says Mike. “Living in Nova Scotia offered a chance to reconnect to nature, and the Nature Trust offered a chance to give back. It’s hard not to want to support them.”

Five years ago, when Mike learned the Nature Trust also needed hands-on help with on-site projects from time to time, he excitedly volunteered. He first helped build a bridge on Pennant River conservation lands. Next, he skillfully installed some signs on protected property in the Purcells Cove Backlands. Last fall, he joined a group that painstakingly disassembled a rotting bridge and boardwalk there, and then a month ago, worked as diligently building a new one. And just last week, Mike joined fellow volunteer Alan Mason to erect signage on Sand Beach conservation lands.

Mike encourages others to like him, find happiness in lending a hand. “Just the fact that the Nova Scotia Nature Trust exists gives me hope. I would love to see the organization continue to be supported so it can keep expanding, taking more and more properties under its wing to protect them forever,” says Mike, finishing with, “If I can play a small part in that, even if it’s just putting up a sign, I love to help.”

We are so fortunate that Mike and his family decided to camp out in Nova Scotia and help make it a happier place for all. If you are interested in volunteering with us and perhaps have a special skill that could come in handy, we’d love to hear from you! Please visit our volunteer page or reach out to volunteer@nsnt.ca.