You have the Will power to make a difference: Dave Leman’s long-lasting nature legacy

WWF-Canada is proud to partner once again with Will Power, a national public education campaign to inspire more people to make a significant impact on the causes they care about with a gift in their Will to charity. Your Will can do more for wildlife than you think.

Recalling the beauty of glacier-fed rivers and the sweet smell of Douglas fir trees and prairie grasses like fescue, Dave Leman of Prince George, B.C. has been passionate about wildlife and conservation for as long as he can remember.

Growing up near the Bow River in Calgary, at the time a small city of 320,000 people, Dave would play outside near his home by the escarpment over the Bow River catching leopard frogs (which he now feels bad about) and delighting in aspen trees, bobcats and deer.

Thanks to words of support and encouragement — “We need people like you,” his late father would tell him — Dave has always had a genuine awareness and concern for the environment.

With deep admiration and faith, Dave has been a financial supporter of WWF-Canada for 32 years. “We need to care about the world, both other humans and our fellow living things,” says Dave, who decided years ago to leave a gift for wildlife in his Will through WWF-Canada.

His love of wildlife and nature stretches across the globe. During one of his past trips to Tanzania, Dave recalls seeing a female elephant with a broken leg being supported by two other elephants while food was brought to her.

It was amazing to witness their intelligence, love and emotive intent as the elephants worked together to care for their injured family member, he says.

But one fond memory stands out as one of his most memorable wildlife encounters — while doing grad work in southern Alberta, Dave and a colleague were standing in a windswept shortgrass prairie searching for a den of swift foxes when a herd of wild horses came thundering towards them.

Both frightening and beautiful, this moment left them speechless and in awe of the wonders of nature.

It is wise for us to think and care not just after ourselves, Dave says, but for those coming after us. Becoming emotional, he says he can’t imagine a world without rhinos (black rhinos are his favourite mammal) and can’t bear the thought of his future grandchildren asking why he didn’t do more to save them.

Allocating a portion of his Will to WWF-Canada is his way of extending his love for wildlife beyond his lifetime and passing on a healthier planet for those who come after him.

Reversing the damage and destruction that wildlife and their habitats have endured is a monumental task, but not an impossible one. Like Dave, you too have the power to take care of your loved ones and make a difference for the causes you care about through your Will.

If you believe in safeguarding wildlife and nature for future generations, consider leaving a long-lasting gift in your Will or estate plan to help grow the vital conservation work that WWF-Canada is currently doing.

Leaving a gift in your Will costs nothing now but ensures your impact and support for conservation within Canada will continue.

Learn more about the power of your Will and how you can get started. Your Will is more powerful than you think.