Russian Olive - How Should We Manage This Beautiful Invader?
Kelly Cooley, CoolPro Solutions
Thursday, May 7, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to Eurasia introduced to North America in the late 19th century to serve colonizing families as windbreaks to help stem soil erosion. In the 20th and 21st century, Russian Olive became more valued as an ornamental species, and for game bird sport hunters on otherwise vast treeless prairie areas. While Russian Olive has some traditional medicinal and culinary uses in its native Eurasian range, it is now widely considered an aggressive invasive species, particularly in the Western U.
SACPA Special Event: Screening of the Documentary “THE EASTERN SLOPES”
Erin Rolfson and Graham Ruttan, Directors and Producers
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 6:30 PM
BMO Auditorium in the Science Commons Building, University of Lethbridge
For years, community members, experts from Lethbridge, southern Alberta and many people living downstream have united to prevent coal mining in the eastern slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Expanding coal mining in these regions threatens the water, health, and livelihoods of millions of people, while international corporations have lobbied governments to rewrite the rules. This documentary explores the current situation regarding the proposed Northback Grassy Mountain open-pit coal mine, located in the Eastern Slopes area.
Protecting a 114-Year Fire/EMS Legacy: Why Must Lethbridge Sound the Alarm on Putting Profit over Public Safety?
Brent Nunweiler
Thursday, May 14, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
Lethbridge is home to the longest-standing integrated Fire / EMS system in North America. We will discuss the proven success of this model and the current threat the system is under from the provincial government. This transition isn’t just a policy shift; it is a direct threat to patient outcomes. In our city, this is literally a life-and-death decision. Public safety must always come before profit, and EMS should never be handed to the lowest bidder.
How Can Everyday Observation Become Conservation Action?
Brook Skagen, P.Biol., RTAg., AWB®, Owner and Principal Ecologist of Larkfir Conservation Services
Thursday, May 28, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
Southern Alberta’s grasslands are among the most biodiverse and most endangered ecosystems in the world. Yet they are often perceived as familiar, quiet, or even unremarkable. In landscapes like these, ecological change can unfold gradually and largely unnoticed, allowing species and habitats to decline without broad public awareness. This presentation explores how everyday observation plays a critical role in conservation. Using a local example from southern Alberta, the talk introduces the foundations of ecology, the study of living things and their interactions, and demonstrates how small, consistent acts of noticing can reveal meaningful ecological patterns.