There’s a small island near the area where the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers join, and it’s filled with birds and tons of turtles. It has managed to be left untouched despite the continuous growth of the suburban city that has risen all around it, all because of the work of one man.
The island, which is known as the Île Ronde, has managed to remain pristine and untouched by urbanization all due to one man named Thor Wikström who refused to sell the land way back in the 1960s. Just recently, Wikström decided to donate it to the Nature Conservancy Canada so that it can remain protected forever.
Thor Wikström was a Swedish immigrant who eventually found his way to Canada, building his first cabin home for his wife and first son, Hans, in a town called Laval, which is located on the shore of Rivière-des-Prairies.
The seven-acre Île Ronde could be seen from the window of his home, and was basically just a stone’s throw away from where he and his family stayed. Wikström decided to ask the previous owner to sell it to him, and it became a special place for him and his family for many years.
Now, at the age of 93, Wikström decided that it was time to donate his cherished piece of land, knowing that it will remain as a forest and marshland, while his little home cabin and all the birdhouses he had built over the years will be protected by the nature conservatory forever.
In an interview with CBC News, he said, “It’s just a good feeling in my heart. I know this will be there forever.”
As for the family, they have actually been involved in environmentalism for years, fighting for the protection of Quebec’s natural resources for decades. Aside from donating the island to the Nature Conservancy, Wikström has also made a number of contributions to the conservatory, while also supporting Ducks Unlimited Canada.
Wikström also shared, “Nature was more important than some stupid money in my pocket. I said, ‘This is something [that’s] got to be preserved,’ and I kept my word.”
Throughout the years, Wikström has received tons of offers to buy the island, all of which he turned down. And in doing so, he has given a much better chance for the northern map turtle – which is a “special concern” species by the Canadian government, since they already lack enough access to their former habitat due to the developments that have risen alongside the river.
Moreover, the Île Ronde is also home to a unique tree species called the shagbark hickory, as well as to a number of migratory birds and other game bird species such as the gadwall, widgeon, and wood ducks.
According to project manager for the Montreal Greenbelt at the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Annie Ferland, “The Wikström family has taken great care of it, and with this very meaningful act we are protecting the natural diversity of this unique habitat for the benefit of the animal and plant species that live there, but also for future generations.”
To see more about this story, take a look at the video below.
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