Local Landowner Donates 5 Acres of Land to the UTRCA  (Published Jan. 2023)

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) has received a generous 2.02 hectare (5 acre) donation from Ron Anderson, who inherited the land in Dorchester Swamp from his father, John, and his grandmother, Helen. 

The small lots in Dorchester Swamp were created in the 19th century to sell to local farmers to provide them with access to cedar posts and firewood. The Anderson family has maintained the property as natural habitat under the Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program and is pleased that the land will continue to be protected. 

The UTRCA now owns 279 hectares (690 acres) of this 570 ha (1408 ac) Provincially Significant Wetland. 

The donated land is located in the heart of the swamp, surrounded by mostly UTRCA land. When land is donated to a conservation authority, the donor receives a tax receipt for the appraised value. 

Dorchester Swamp provides many benefits to the watershed, including protecting biodiversity, reducing flooding through water retention, improving water quality through filtration, and sequestering and storing carbon in the organic soils and plants. 

The project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Environment and Climate Change (the Canada Nature Fund).   

Contact: Cathy Quinlan, Terrestrial Biologist