In Memory of Louis W. Bassett

IN MEMORY OF
LOUIS W. BASSETT

WRITTEN BY: ELLEN STERNS, FORMER FUND DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

We imagined a beautiful blue sky and the sweet smell of balsam fir as Mr. Richard (Dick) Bassett, donor of the Louis W. Bassett Nature Preserve, told us his first memory in nature with his father.  

“I would go up as a young guy, 12, 13 years old. Our job was to cut bows and branches…working in the woods with a crew with a small hand saw…and just being out there in Canada in the woods with your dad, the truck, and your crew, it was just a beautiful experience…” 

Dick grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, but remembers traveling through the northeastern United States to Fredericton, New Brunswick, home to his father’s Christmas Tree farm. Louis Bassett had been in the Christmas tree business for over 45 years, and according to Dick, operated a clean and respectful business. “They would never cut a tree less than eight inches in diameter. There was always a forest.” The Christmas spirit was kept alive while the forest flourished as it always had. 

Dick described his father as a generous, well-known, and well-respected man in the community. Over twenty years after he had passed, as Dick was crossing the Canadian border, the agent recognized the name and asked whether there was any relation to Lou Bassett? My colleague Cheyenne told Richard: “In New Brunswick, when people are good people, they are remembered.”

Louis W. Bassett Nature Preserve

 Dick now lives in Key Largo in Florida and although he does not travel to Canada as often, he will always have a warm spot in his heart for New Brunswick.  

“I’ve got fond memories of the people, the town, Fredericton, McAdam, Harvey, crossing the border from Vanceboro, spending many a season up there…we’ve got this beautiful parcel of land, and then we find your organization. It was just sort of meant to be.” 

 After 30 years, Dick decided to donate the property now known as the Louis W. Bassett Nature Preserve, in memory of his father. He told us that when you have the option to donate your land and ensure perpetual care, what better gift could you give back to our communities?  

Dick and the Bassett family have ensured that this treasured natural space will continue to support a variety of flora and fauna in Pokiok Settlement and in the Saint John/Wolastoq River watershed. 

“It was an easy decision for us that the Nature Trust preserve was the right thing…dealing with you was really quite effortless…I’m glad we did it. We’d do it over again if we could.” 

What better legacy can we leave? Our natural spaces hold the memories of our lives and the stories of family that came before us. Louis’ legacy will live on through the Louis W. Bassett Nature Preserve. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will forever be told the stories of the Canadian Christmas tree farm, apple orchards, bears, and a forested sanctuary that because of people like Dick, will be protected, forever.

Painted Trillium / Louis W. Bassett Nature Preserve