By Justin Goulet (@JustinGoulet21)

Twelfth annual Coulee Clean-Up gets underway this month

Apr 5, 2019 | 6:54 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It’s time to clean up the coulees.

The twelfth annual Coulee Clean-Up event starts on April 22. The community initiative is organized by the Helen Schuler Nature Centre (HSNC).

“This is a city-wide conservation project that specifically focuses on our river valley. We want to cover the four-thousand some odd acres that we all enjoy throughout the year and take as much garbage out of that space for the benefit of our wild neighbours as well as just our own benefit from an aesthetic point of view,” said Curtis Goodman, Resource Development Coordinator at the HSNC.

Goodman said the program started “largely in response” to the accumulated garbage found in the river valley in Lethbridge.

“There was increasing complaints from residents and visitors to the city … the Nature Centre stepped up and said we can help with this, we want to help solve the problem by engaging the community and helping to get those pieces of garbage bagged and removed,” he said.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

Goodman explained that not only does the clean-up have many aesthetic benefits, it’s also extremely beneficial for wildlife.

“You think about the diversity of wildlife that depend on our river valley for their daily existence, it certainly behooves us to do something about it and to make sure that we are managing our waste in a responsible manner so that they can live unencumbered and the best live possible,” he said.

“In return, we get to enjoy them living in a natural area at their best. Everybody wins when we remove garbage and keep our landscapes looking its best.”

Goodman said the HSNC has a philosophy where garbage begets garbage. He explained that when there’s an area that has garbage in it, people are more likely to add garbage to that already-existing pile.

“So, if we can remove as much of that garbage from our river valley as possible, there is less likelihood that people are going to carelessly add to the pile,” he said.

Goodman said there are two ways to get involved with the Coulee Clean-Up as registration has begun.

Volunteers can organize their own group and pick what area they want to clean. The Nature Centre will provide all the cleaning supplies needed to complete the task.

Another way to get involved is by joining upcoming public drop-in cleanups taking place later this month and in May. Again, the Nature Centre will provide all necessary equipment.

Goodman said there are 105 different locations that make up the river valley.

“From really small manageable size areas for teams of four or five all the way up to huge areas that would comprise multiple square kilometres, which is great for the larger sports teams or corporate groups (of volunteers),” he noted.

“There really is something for everybody. We’ve got flat terrain, we’ve got steep coulee terrain, mixed terrain, more urbanized areas and more remote areas.”

He suggested participants that take part year after year do what he calls a “tour of duty” to explore and see all the river valley has to offer. There are already 31 registered areas and around 724 volunteers.

“It’s great to see the community showing so much support.”

The campaign launch is on April 22 with the initiative running through May 31. The first drop-in Coulee Clean-Up will take place April 23 in Indian Battle Park at 6:00 p.m. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Baroness Picnic Shelter.

For more details on getting involved and a list of clean-up areas, go to www.lethbridge.ca/Nature-Centre.

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the Lethbridge News Now newsletter here. You can also download the Lethbridge News Now mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.