The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is a body based in London, Ontario

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It was created in 1947. It was responsible for the construction of the Fanshawe Dam

Fanshawe Dam

Fanshawe Dam is a dam located on 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...

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

Thames River (Ontario)

The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario, Canada.The Thames flows west through southwestern Ontario, through the cities of Woodstock, London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair...

, which runs through London. During the last ice age

Ice age

An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

, 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

Sifton bog

The Sifton Bog is a wetland jointly administered by the city of London, Ontario and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. It is located west of Hyde Park Road and south of Oxford Street inside the city limits of London...

. As such, the Thames is a watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

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

Wetlands

• Ellice Swamp
  Ellice Swamp
  Ellice Swamp is a large woodlot in Perth, Ontario.Historically, it was known as Ellice Huckleberry Swamp and was part of the Huron Tract administered by the Canada Company. The wetland is 100% palustrine with 100% organic substrates....
  
   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 (ANSI)and a Carolinian Canada site. This swamp is 548 hectares is size.

• Sifton Bog
  Sifton bog
  The Sifton Bog is a wetland jointly administered by the city of London, Ontario and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. It is located west of Hyde Park Road and south of Oxford Street inside the city limits of London...
  
  , 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.