Yard program will build on success

By Lethbridge Herald on December 18, 2025.

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Helen Schuler Nature Centre’s Best Front Forward program was a successful 2025 community initiative encouraging Lethbridge residents to enhance their front yards for biodiversity and neighbourhood connection. 

Offering a checklist of 30+ actions (like planting natives, adding seating) to earn a gold star for 15+ actions, promoting greener spaces, fostering community, and planning a return in 2026 for more front yard transformations.

“We have been receiving a lot of commentary from our end at the Nature Centre from the public about the need for more native plants, drought-tolerant species (and) sustainable landscaping choices in city public spaces, which is so fantastic,” says Helen Shuler Nature Centre community/project lead educator Paige Rosner.

Speaking at the final 2025 meeting of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA), Rosner described the success of the program and plans for 2026 in her presentation: “Public or Private Space? Front Yards As a Tool for Community and Biodiversity Development.” 

“People are starting to become far more aware of our water insecurity, of the cost of maintaining kinds of plants that do not do well naturally here and the need to support local animals.”

A beautification and biodiversity campaign focused on front yards, Best Front Forward ran from March-October 2025; helping residents turn their front spaces into vibrant areas supporting nature and community. 

The categories included Biodiversity (pollinator plants, native species); Community (public art, seating); Sustainability (drought-tolerant plants, rain gardens, reduced turf), and Nature Connection, offering over 30 actions for Gold Stars, encouraging ecological productivity and neighbourhood bonding through beautification.

Participants completing a minimum of 15 actions earned a visible “Gold Star” for their yard. 

“There were interesting examples of the contrasts between the quote-unquote ‘messy yard’ or the more naturalized yard or the native plant yard and the more sharply contrasting highly manicured highly-controlled yards.”

While natural biodiverse front yards are sometimes perceived as “messy” compared to traditional manicured lawns, they offer significant ecological benefits, such as supporting pollinators, conserving water, and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

This perception gap often stems from differing aesthetic values and a lack of familiarity with intentionally designed native landscapes, which can be both functional and visually appealing when properly maintained. 

As education and awareness spreads, many communities are increasingly adopting these sustainable landscaping practices; challenging the conventional aesthetic in favor of environmental resilience.

More than 80 Gold Stars were awarded during the first year of Best Front Forward, exceeding expectations. It inspired heartwarming stories and community connections; added Little Libraries at some Gold Star homes to boost sharing; and even featured guided Front Yard Tours during the summer of 2025.

“Landscaping is never done…it’s always changing,” says Rosner about the next chapter of Best Front Forward.