(Photos by Clive Schaupmeyer)

By David Opinko

Inaccurate educational signs at Coaldale’s wetlands signs ordered to be corrected

Jul 29, 2021 | 12:51 PM

COALDALE, AB – The Alberta Government is directing the Town of Coaldale to remove a couple of recently installed educational signs at the wetlands.

They were put up late last year as a means of informing the public about the unique area.

Resident Clive Schaupmeyer, however, points out that two of the six signs contain information that is not accurate. They are titled “What Lives Here?” and “What Grows Here?”, showing several examples of the animal and plant life that might be found in the wetlands.

“They list 39 species – most are unlikely to ever be seen in the area or never. Conversely, there are many many species – 20 or 30 of the most common – if you and I were to go there today or in the spring or in the fall, we’d see a certain number of species. They’re not on the signs.”

“They list a grass…heteropogon contortus, well that doesn’t mean anything to anybody, so I questioned it so I had a look. It’s native to Africa and the Southern United States. That is absolutely absurd. Apparently, it will grow in cooler climates, and where it does, it’s considered invasive.”

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: September 20, 2024

Sep 20, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: August 30, 2024

Aug 30, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: August 23, 2024

Aug 23, 2024

Schaupmeyer has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Alberta, a master’s degree from the University of Guelph, has spent much of his career as a horticulturist and an agronomist, and has been photographing birds found in the Coaldale area for decades.

Given that Coaldale’s new high school will be built next to the wetlands, which will become “an integrated part of student learning,” Schaupmeyer reached out to the Town of Coaldale to have the signs corrected. He claims that town officials discussed the matter but brushed it off, later being told that “this matter is closed.”

“I’ve got about a dozen quotes from the town, come visit the wetlands, great educational learning opportunity – if they mean that, it better be accurate. You can’t go around telling people how wonderful an educational opportunity these wetlands are and then have signs with just blatant scientific errors. It’s just wrong.”

Schaupmeyer then contacted Alberta’s Ministry of Environment and Parks, which prompted the following response from Minister Jason Nixon in a letter dated July 22, 2021:

“Environment and Parks staff reviewed your concerns about the signs and determined you are correct, and the information is not entirely accurate. I have asked department staff to contact the Town of Coaldale and request it correct inaccuracies on the signs.”

The town erected the signs around the wetlands thanks to a grant of $32,000 from the provincial Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program.

Mayor Kim Craig sent a brief statement to LNN, which reads, “We are in receipt of the July 22 letter from the Minister and are going to contact the external professionals that prepared and approved the wording of the signs. It would be our hope that these parties would correct the signs at their cost but at this early stage we have not yet had a chance to have these conversations therefore we cannot speak to potential costs at this time.”

The Alberta Government will offer the town technical guidance on appropriate species and suggest appropriate information to be included on the signs.