The Friends of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre Society is proud to announce a significant donation received from the Lethbridge Garden Project Society in support of the Nature Centre’s Prairie Living Roof.

The Lethbridge Garden Project Society (LGPS) was founded in 1991 with the objective of establishing a world-class public botanical and demonstration garden in Lethbridge. The founders envisioned a garden that would showcase native prairie plants of the Lethbridge region, highlighting the unique climate and soil conditions. By 2012, there was a tentative agreement between LGPS and the University of Lethbridge to build the garden on campus. However, due to the sudden passing of executive members of LGPS, alternative arrangements in the community were explored to realize the Society’s vision.

In researching local organizations, LGPS recognized they shared a common goal with the Helen Schuler Nature Centre – the preservation and appreciation of native prairie plants. The Prairie Living Roof at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre provided an opportunity to support a native plant demonstration garden. The Centre is uniquely positioned to offer interpretive programming that helps visitors to identify, understand, and appreciate the diversity of native prairie plants.

The Prairie Living Roof at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre is a highlight for many visitors. The fully-accessible roof-top garden offers a unique and one-of-a-kind experience in Lethbridge. It supports the Nature Centre’s primary goal of delivering diverse and dynamic nature interpretive programs by providing an important outdoor classroom space for visitors to learn about native plants and grasses found in our river valley. It also offers an incredible postcard-worthy view of Lethbridge’s river valley!

In summer 2022 the Lethbridge Garden Project Society made a significant donation towards the care, maintenance, and interpretation of the Prairie Living Roof at the Nature Centre. LGPS donated $35,000 in memory of Phil North, Bob Giesbrecht, and Jim George, long-time members of the Society to enrich life with beauty and discovery by cultivating the connection between people and plants.

“Our society is proud to support the Prairie Living Roof at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre to inspire appreciation and understanding of plants through demonstration, education, and research in an engaging outdoor learning environment that preserves our sense of place,” Craig McMahon, President of the Lethbridge Garden Project Society.

The recent donation from Lethbridge Garden Project Society will be invested in the ongoing maintenance, care, preservation, and interpretation of the Prairie Living Roof at the Nature Centre. It will support our community to learn about native plants and grasses found in our river valley for many years to come.

“We see a common goal between what our Society’s objective was and that of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre,” Craig McMahon, LGPS President.

While experiencing the living roof, visitors are encouraged to discover the versatility and adaptability of native plants, local ecology, plant pollination, and intensive and extensive living roof systems. The rooftop garden provides a demonstration area for alternatives to traditional, water consumptive landscaping approaches. It showcases a broad variety of local native species, perennial forbs, and grasses that can be found here in Lethbridge.

In addition to providing a learning space for native plants found in Lethbridge, the Nature Centre’s Living Roof also provides several functional purposes that benefit the facility. Living roofs are ideal for absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, creating a habitat for pollinators, and helping to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect.

“The leadership of the Lethbridge Garden Project Society is appreciated,” says Coreen Putman, Manager of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, “donations encourage our efforts and help us to do more in the community.”

The Helen Schuler Nature Centre is one of Lethbridge’s premier attractions where people and nature meet. Open year-round, the Nature Centre is committed to building and supporting a community of people who care for and steward the land. Their team of volunteers, staff, and community partners work together to foster environmental awareness and leadership.

“Our Friends Society is always seeking opportunities to build support for Lethbridge’s amazing Nature Centre,” says Rick Andrews, president of the Friends of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre Society at the time of the donation, “we thank the Lethbridge Garden Project Society for their support towards the care, maintenance, and interpretation of the Living Roofs at the Nature Centre!”

The Nature Centre’s Living Roof was originally made possible thanks to a leadership grant from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, recognizing the potential of the outdoor learning space for the broader community. The uniqueness of the Nature Centre’s Prairie Living Roof was recognized in 2015 by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. The Centre was the recipient of the Green Roof and Wall Award of Excellence in the Intensive Institutional category for balancing aesthetic, economic, functional and ecological values.

The major donation received from the Lethbridge Garden Project Society will help the Helen Schuler Nature Centre support visitors to identify, understand, and appreciate the diversity of native prairie plants. This bolsters the Nature Centre’s mission to inspire closer relationships between people and the natural world around them.

On your next trip to the river valley in Lethbridge, be sure to visit the Helen Schuler Nature Centre to enjoy the spectacular views from the Prairie Living Roof and learn about the amazing variety of native plants found in our region.

The Friends of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre Society is a registered Canadian Charity actively seeking grant and partnership opportunities for current programs, projects, and initiatives for environmental education in our region. The Society partners with a network of organizations to offer and support nature-based programming in our community. If you would like to get involved with the Society as a member or supporter, please visit www.NatureCentre.ca to learn more.