Quebec entrepreneur, 93, donates cherished island after protecting it from city sprawl

For most of his adult life, Thor Vikstrmhas watched the seasons change and the birds come and go from the small Quebec island he's owned that sits opposite his riverside home in Laval, Que.

At 93, he says he's at peace knowingthe landnestled between Montreal and Lavalwill remain protected long after he's gone now that he'sdonated it to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Called le Ronde, the seven-acre island is a nearly untouched habitat in the middle of an urban centre. Itsitsin the middle ofRivire-des-prairies, near Lake of Two Mountains, where the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers meet.

Wedged between two major cities, it's easy to miss.Butits forest and marshland are teeming with biodiversity.

As urban development in thearea progressed over the years, many of the surrounding shores were built up but the island has remained in its natural state.

Vikstrm has owned and cared for the land since the late 1960s, when he built his family home in Laval and fell in love with hisview of the island.He convinced its former owner to sell, so he could keep it untouched.

His recent donation ensures it will beprotected for generations to come.

"I trust my children;I'm sure they'll protect the island. Butwhat happens after my children [are] gone?" Vikstrm saidin an interview with CBCNews at his home in Laval, Que.

"It's just a good feeling in my heart.I know this will be there forever."

Dismissedall offers of 'stupid money'

Vikstrm is the sort of person who knows what he wants and goes for it. He cracks a joke as he introduces himself.

"My name is Thor. And you know what that means? The Thunder God."

Vikstrm says he knew he was going to marry his late wife the moment he met herandtold her so.

The couplemoved to Canada from Sweden with their first-born son in 1962 and built a life in Quebec, eventually founding Scanada, a successful family company.

As an entrepreneur in the hydraulics industry, Vikstrm was in the business of building up; he was even consulted on the construction of the CN Tower.

But he has refused to let city sprawl onto his treasured island.Though an incessant stream of developers knocked on his door over the years, asking him to sell,Vikstrm turned them all away.

"I bought the island because I couldn't see it destroyed," saidVikstrm.

"Nature was more important than some stupid money in my pocket," headded. "I said, 'This is something [that's] got to be preserved,' and I kept my word."

A family legacy

For theVikstrm family, the island was a getaway over the years;they had a cable ferry built to access it, and often invited neighbours and friends to join them there.

Hans Vikstrm, Thor's son,says instead of acottage up north, they had the island next door.

"We'd camp there. We kind of grew up on the island and it was our getaway placea place to relax and enjoy as kids," he said.

"We'd go over there with our friends and we'd make a little fire. And [my dad would] get mad at us because we left a Coke bottle on the island."

At one point, theykept sheep on the island for grazing. Thor Vikstrmsaid he had the idea that the animalswould keep the bushes and weeds at bay, andremembers how he would hear them calling in the distance.

Nowadays, le Ronde has mostly been leftto its natural state. Strolling in his backyard and gazing out at the island, Thor Vikstrm points out thesmall cabin and birdhouses that he built.

Good news for vulnerable turtle

As Canada works towardits goal of protecting 30 per cent of land and water by 2030, Vikstrmsaid he is glad to have played a part.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is alsohelping, through gifts of land, like this one, and purchases.The private, not-for-profit organizationrecently acquired a large parcel of grassland in southern Saskatchewan and more than 18,000 acres of Ontario'sManitoulin Island.

Theconservancy called the le Ronde donationterrific news, saying that it sends a message of hope.

The island is home to thenorthern map turtle, a speciesthat isfederallydesignatedasbeing of special concernand as vulnerable in Quebec.

Biologist Sbastien Rouleau researches map turtles and has visited le Ronde in the past. He co-ordinates research and conservation at the Zoo Ecomuseum in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que.

He said the donation of le Ronde, with its natural shoreline, is particularly great news for the turtles, which are sensitive to human activity.

"Turtles don't climb concrete walls really well, so having access to the natural shoreline will give them natural nesting sites, as well as basking opportunities, which is essential for their living," Rouleau said.

The island is also home to a unique tree species, called the shagbark hickory, as well as a variety of waterbirds, including wood ducks, American wigeon, and gadwall.

Whilethe island's financial value is relatively low today because it's located in a flood risk zone, the Nature Conservancy says what counts is its value for flora and fauna.

"I think we can pack a lot of biodiversity in a single hand and imagine an island of that size," saidJol Bonin, associate vice-president of development and communications for the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Quebec chapter.

Though winter has now set in on the island, Vikstrm said he is already looking forward to watching the migratory birds return in the springas he has for more than 50 years.

WATCH | A Quebec entrepreneur's lifelong quest to protect an uninhabited island from urban sprawl:

A Quebec man's lifelong quest to protect an uninhabited island

3 years ago

Duration 3:58

A virtually untouched island between Montreal and Laval, Que., le Ronde will remain free from urban development because of the dedication, love of nature and stubbornness of Thor Vikstrm.