The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) named its 2026 award winners on February 25, 2026, recognizing environmental leaders across the watershed. Among the honourees was a longtime volunteer from the St. Thomas area, alongside landowners dedicated to large-scale reforestation.
Diane Irving was posthumously awarded the 2026 Outstanding Resident Award after passing away on July 17, 2025, at the age of 74. Irving was a fixture at the St. Thomas Children’s Water Festival at Pinafore Park for nearly 20 years, where she sewed costumes and mended materials for the educational programs. Her daughter, Linda Smith, accepted the award on her behalf during the ceremony.
Bill and Cecilia Davies received the Kayla Berger Stewardship Award for their extensive reforestation efforts on their rural property. Since 1987, the couple has planted more than 4,500 trees, significantly improving the health of the local watershed. This spirit of private land stewardship is also seen in St. Thomas at sites like Hawk Cliff Woods, where local volunteers continue to protect critical migratory habitats.
The awards were presented during the authority’s annual meeting on February 24, 2026. The recognition comes as the provincial government considers a November 2025 proposal to consolidate Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into seven regional blocks, a move that could fundamentally change how local environmental projects and volunteer programs are managed.
