User:Lwestmoreland/HSCC

The Helen Schuler Coulee Centre is an urban nature centre operated by the City of Lethbridge and dedicated volunteers. It is located alongside the Oldman River, just north of the CPR High Level Bridge at the gateway to the 80 hectare (200 acre) Lethbridge Nature Reserve. Its primary mandate is to protect the local natural environment and to promote nature appreciation through community environmental education.

= History = In 1972, the Lethbridge Naturalists Society submitted a report to the Lethbridge City Council which proposed building a nature centre in the river valley. In 1977 the Lethbridge Nature Reserve was established when the Province of Alberta gave the land to the City of Lethbridge for the purposes of conservation and appreciation. The Province of Alberta's Urban Parks Project, funded by the Heritage Trust Fund, enabled the City of Lethbridge to purchase new parkland and improve existing areas. This new funding, along with contributions from the Lethbridge Naturalists Society and Public School Board allowed construction of the proposed nature centre to begin in 1980. High demand for programming soon overwhelmed the volunteer-operated centre and, in July of 1981, the City of Lethbridge assumed responsibility for the daily operation, permanent staffing and maintenance of the centre, with volunteer naturalists continuing to make significant contributions. On June 6th, 1982, the centre was formally opened to the public as the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre. Today the Centre attracts up to 30,000 visitors a year.

Helen Schuler
In June of 1981, the Lethbridge Naturalists Society submitted the name Helen Schuler Coulee Centre to the Lethbridge City Council for approval. The accepted name honors the efforts of local naturalist and activist, Helen Schuler, a founding member and former president of the Lethbridge Naturalists Society, who was instrumental in establishing an environmental education program in area schools. The initial program became so successful that its growing needs eventually played a large role in the construction of the Coulee Centre. = Features =

Exhibits
The centre constructs and showcases three interactive displays per year, the displays change to cover a new topic every four months.

Programs
The Helen Schuler Coulee Centre conducts a variety of educational programs to encourage community understanding and to promote appreciation of the area's natural heritage. The nature centre is perhaps best known for its elementary school programs; these field trips are often an individual's first introduction to the centre.

Self-Guided Trails
The centre provides opportunities for low-impact recreation along three self-guided trails through the nature reserve:
 * Nature Quest
 * Oxbow Loop
 * Coulee Climb

Resident Animals
Due to the centre's broad scope it is often assumed that wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is among its capacities, which is not the case. The centre has neither the facilities nor personnel to care for injured wildlife. Over the years, members of the community have brought 'rescued' or captured wildlife to the centre hoping that they may be housed as living specimens or reintroduced to their natural habitat.

#In 1991 a fledgling crow was brought to the centre by a concerned family who found her injured, hence her name. Unfortunately, she was taken from the wild and cared for so early her development that she quickly became imprinted on humans, which meant that she could not be released back into the wild with a hope of survival. Pegleg has lived at the Coulee Centre ever since. She has become the crow ambassador for the centre and greets visitors, particularly young children, with "Hello", "Hi" and "Bye".

= References = http://www.lethbridge.ca/NR/rdonlyres/F286C2B1-59B5-4B7E-819E-2A830AD404F2/0/CouleestoCottonwoodsbrochure.pdf http://www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/managing/history.asp#from http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/Acts/W09.cfm?frm_isbn=0779746430 http://www.lethbridge.ca/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=2907&query=helen%20schuler = See Also =

Category:Tourism Category:Footpaths Category:Nature centers Category:Natural history Category:Environmental education