The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is a body based in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...

, Canada. It was created in 1947. It was responsible for the construction of the

Fanshawe Dam Fanshawe Dam is a dam located on North Thames River near the eastern edge of London, Ontario. The crest of the dam is 625 metres long. It is 30.5 metres in height and drops the river surface 12 metres. Fanshawe Lake is the reservoir created by t ...

, completed in the 1950s, to control flooding from the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, which runs through London. During the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

, the site of London was the terminus of a large glacier. When the region warmed at the end of the ice age, the glacier melted and receded North, leaving behind a drainage ditch and features such as Sifton Bog. As such, the Thames is a

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

for most of Western Ontario, and is therefore highly susceptible to seasonal flooding. In 1937, such flooding had devastating consequences, destroying over 1,000 homes, and causing millions of dollars in damage. Today, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is mainly a not-for-profit agency which monitors

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is '' flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. ...

welfare in the area and gives tours to local kids on school field trips.

Conservation areas

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority manages three conservation areas: * Fanshawe Conservation Area * Pittock Conservation Area * Wildwood Conservation Area

Wetlands

Ellice Swamp Ellice Swamp is a large woodlot in Perth County, Ontario. The swamp covers approximately 856 hectares (2,115 acres). It is located between Stratford and Milverton in the northeastern portion of the Thames River Watershed, between the North Bra ...

is a Class 2 Provincially Significant wetland and largest wetland in the watershed. * Dorchester Swamp, is a Class 1 wetland east of London. It is a designated as an

Area of Natural and Scientific Interest Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an o ...

(ANSI)and a Carolinian Canada site. This swamp is 548 hectares is size. * Sifton Bog, which is a Class 2 wetland within the City of London, is considered the most southerly intact bog in Canada. * Golspie Swamp, northwest of Woodstock, is one of the largest remaining wooded areas in Oxford County.

External links

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
{{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in Ontario Organizations established in 1947 Organizations based in London, Ontario Conservation authorities in Ontario 1947 establishments in Ontario