Edwin and Ruth Mattheis made history when they donated their 5,000-hectare (12,300-acre) ranch to the University of Alberta – the largest gift of land ever made to a Canadian university.
Having bought the ranch in 1977, alumni Edwin, BSc (Eng) ’57, and Ruth Mattheis, BA ’58, spent over 30 years managing and observing the diverse ecology of their property, located on the banks of the Red Deer River, near the town of Duchess in southeastern Alberta. Upon retirement, they envisioned the land being used to advance knowledge and understanding of rangeland ecology and management.
To help realize this vision, and in recognition of their generous donation, the University of Alberta established the Mattheis Chair in Rangeland Ecology and Management.