he winter morning air may be brisk but the welcome is warm for Doug Kaupp, the City of Lethbridge’s manager of water, wastewater, and stormwater. The smell of coffee and baked goods lingers in OWC’s boardroom, where Doug has spent numerous hours acting as the chair of the OWC Board of Directors. Doug’s professional role is to not only provide clean drinking water to 130,000 Lethbridge residents, but to also treat the wastewater coming from industry and households; additionally, he’s also willing to get his hands dirty to improve the state of the watershed! Whether he is exacting vengeance on spotted knapweed at a local weed pull, planting willow after willow, or learning more about food production, he is always striving to give back to the area he calls home. Doug is quietly unassuming, though there is a twinkle in his eye; the passion for what he does is clear as he expertly explains the connections between people, industry, and the headwaters. Just as the water he manages is vital to the watershed, it is inarguable that Doug Kaupp is equally essential to the water.

t was September 2017 when my classmates and I jumped on a school bus on route to Timber Ridge as part of our typical fall field trip schedule, at Lethbridge College. We had a list of to-do’s when we arrived at the ranch, which included setting up bat detectors, wildlife cameras, and tube traps for hair collection. As we neared our arrival at the ranch, we traveled west on a gravel road, the road wound into the Porcupine Hills where we entered a paradise of grasslands, mixed forests, and beautiful wetlands. I still remember where we parked. As we exited the bus single file, Glen and Kelly Hall greeted us with big smiles and a heart full of passion for conservation and particularly Timber Ridge. Brad Taylor, a former Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) employee, and now our professor, had met Glen and Kelly years prior working with them on the property, and graciously introduced us students to them.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” We whisper to each other as we slip through the large metal gate into an outdoor patio, lush with plants and brightly coloured chairs. A door opens to our left and Kelti Baird welcomes us to Theoretically Brewing Co., the business she created with Kris Fischer. We step into the cool air of the building, grateful to be out of the September sun. There are vines crawling across the ceiling towards the door, beckoning us into the brewery. The inside is vibrant yet cosy; there are jewel tones and patterned fabric to get lost amongst, accented by southern Alberta décor. It isn’t hard to imagine the taproom, though quiet today, bustling with laughter and endless flights of delicious ales as people gather to discuss politics, pets, and everything in between.