Ralph Klein Park

On 21 April 2013, I went with birding friends on a half-day trip east of the city, to visit the Ralph Klein Park. Most of the time, we had dark clouds overhead, but it was interesting to see this place for the first time. We also drove around the Shepard area to look for birds on the sloughs (ponds). Not much out there, but we did see a very, very distant Ferruginous Hawk perched on a tall light pole along the road into the Park. There was also a single Red-breasted Merganser (much too far away for photos), and several beautiful Black-necked Stilts, that I did manage to capture.

"Ralph Klein Park is Calgary's newest major park featuring a man-made wetland that uses natural vegetation to treat stormwater before it is discharged into the Bow River.

This state of the art facility delivers innovative environmental education programs and services to Calgary citizens with an emphasis on promoting sustainability and stewardship for a healthy future for the city. The facility serves as the hub for the park and supports the outdoor setting through learning gardens, weather stations, wetland study stations and viewing areas, outdoor amphitheatre, and picnic areas. The Environmental Education Ethics Centre is a LEED® Gold certified building by meeting high performance standards in environmental responsibility and energy efficiency.

Ralph Klein Park is the first park to be named for a former mayor during his lifetime. Ralph Klein, who died just recently, was a visionary and tireless advocate on behalf of Calgary and Alberta, and served as Calgary's 32nd Mayor and Alberta's 12th Premier."

www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Ralph-...