Why Is Coal Mining in the Eastern Slopes a Concern? Insights on Ecological Effects of Coal Development
Lorne Fitch, Professional Biologist
Thursday, April 30, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
Evidence indicates that the environmental impacts of coal development are negative and incapable of being effectively dealt with by mitigation, compensation, or reclamation. There are significant legacy issues from the existing footprint of coal development and there is no compelling evidence that future coal development will provide any different outcomes. The speaker will argue that more coal development will create more environmental problems. Avoidance of serious, lingering environmental problems will only be achieved by an end to coal development in the Eastern Slopes.
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.
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.