LETHBRIDGE – Exploring the coulees is John Nightingale’s favorite thing to do in Lethbridge.
However, he knows there is a lot of work to be done to improve the river valley, not only to benefit the public, but the natural environment that surrounds it.
“All too often in an urban landscape, you lose track of what that is all about,” he said. “Wherever you have a river, coulees and forest, you have a huge diversity of animal and plant life. That’s something to be treasured.”
The bird watcher and rattle snake enthusiast joined more than 50 residents Tuesday night for a city held public forum on plans for the river valley. In his opinion, the trails in the coulees need to be better connected, allowing people to go from one end to the other. Also, he thinks the city should add appropriate facilities for bikers, hikers and runners.
“These focus groups are put into place so that everybody can hear someone else’s opinion and hopefully, appropriate and practical compromises will be reached.”
Although there are differing opinions on the future of the coulees, Nightingale added that all residents are united in developing it in a responsible way.
Plans for the river valley are currently in their second phase. After combing through numerous suggestions in stage one, the city was able to focus on its top priorities.
“Nature, environment and pathways – they came out really strong,” said Ryan Carriere, parks planning manager. “What we are trying to do with this project is balance recreation and preservation, as some want more recreation and others want more passive recreation, but everyone wants access to the river valley.”
The second stage is set to be completed by January 2016 with one more public forum to be held. The final plans will then go before city council for debate.
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