Helen Schuler Nature Centre has organized River Valley Conservation programs in Lethbridge since 2008; the Friends of Helen Schuler Nature Centre Society has supported these efforts since 2012.

River Valley Conservation programs encourage residents of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to pick up litter and "leave it better than they found it!"

These programs are an effective way to have a positive environmental impact and increase connection with our community. Working with a team of volunteer stewards, the Nature Centre helps to focus efforts where it is needed most. In doing so, reports from volunteers provide insights about the state of our watershed and the types of litter found in our natural areas.

Coulee Cleanup tracks information at the bag level for over 100 areas in Lethbridge. Whereas Shoreline Cleanup tracks detailed granular-information about each item collected for 5 target areas in Lethbridge. Over time, the results from these programs provide useful data that can inform strategic approaches to reducing or eliminating litter in our community.

In December the City of Lethbridge and the Helen Schuler Nature Centre provided Tali Neta, an instructor from Lethbridge College, with data collected between 2015 and 2019 from the annual Coulee Cleanup event. Neta then had students in her Geomorphology class use the data to create StoryMaps that tell a narrative about the litter and the effect it has on the local ecosystem as their end-of-term project.

The StoryMaps take relevant data and case studies from around the world and combine them with local information to highlight how even small amounts of litter affect waterways, plant growth, animal populations and ultimately, the human population.

“The students did an amazing job on the Story Maps. They were very passionate about it and really interested,” says Neta. “The students tell the story, but also bring solutions because they’ve looked at what’s been done in other places in Canada and the world and compared it to the data from Lethbridge. They put a lot of time and effort into it and it shows.” Read more about the StoryMaps collaboration.

Explore the student StoryMaps below:

1. Mitigating the Effects of Littering in Lethbridge, Alberta

   • By Sydney Taplin & Brooklin Bellavance

2. Lethbridge, Alberta Coulee Clean-Up

   • By Sidney Rintoul & Keilan Hakstol

3. The Trashy Story of Lethbridge

   • By Cruz Canlas & Aidan Sweeney

4. Littering is Trashy

   • By Kade McCormick, Naomi Hutchinson & Regan Lainchbury

5. Annual Coulee Cleanup Lethbridge, AB, Canada

   • By Jamie Schlossberger, Kayla Wilton & Dayce Rhodes

6. Coulee Clean-Up for Lethbridge, AB: 2015-2019

   • By Cody Grasdal, Truman Big Swallow & Justine Murray

Helen Schuler Nature Centre coordinates River Valley Conservation programs that work together to keep our city looking its best while improving our natural spaces. These programs are made possible thanks to the leadership of our partners:

• Alberta Conservation Association

• Alberta Eco-Trust Foundation

• B93

• Country 95

• Friends of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre Society

• City of Lethbridge Parks