In memoriam: Klara Sauer

As Labor Day approaches, we at Scenic Hudson are thinking about Klara Sauer, a true conservation leader we lost earlier this summer. Klara was remarkable in many ways, but two traits drove her and greatly benefitted her fellow New Yorkers.

The first is a quality she looked for in budding conservationists: Did they have that “fire in the belly?” She had it — that’s for sure. She modeled it for others, and she knew it when she saw it. Klara’s fierce passion, drive and determination, laced with a more-than-healthy amount of human kindness, led her to become one of the Hudson Valley’s most respected environmentalists and relied-upon protectors of this special place.

The second thing that drove Klara, and which was perhaps even more powerful, was her belief that everything should be beautiful and that beauty had the intrinsic power to make the world better. A stunning landscape, fine music, art — all are necessary ingredients to create a healthy and wholesome place for all of us to live and thrive.

Klara left the world more beautiful than she found it, and the Hudson Valley we live in today is a constant reminder of her and her legacy.

Steve Rosenberg is executive director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust.