The monoliths of artist Beverly Pepper’s Hawk Hill Calgary Sentinels are an impressive feature of Ralph Klein Park in Calgary. You can read more about Pepper’s work here. I took this photo on a stormy, sticky-hot and mosquito-heavy August morning last year – as we walked in the park, we saw a small funnel cloud in the distance, far to the east and travelling away from us.
Ralph Klein Park is actually pretty impressive all-around. Named after the province’s colourful former premier (d. 2013), the park is part of the massive Shepard Wetland: the largest constructed stormwater treatment wetland in the entire country. The wetland is 160 hectares in size and can hold up to 6 million cubic metres of stormwater, if necessary. (You can read more about it here). The park also contains a public community orchard and the incredibly beautiful LEED Gold-certified Environmental Education and Ethics Centre, which rises above the water on stilts and has accessible catwalks and decks for visitors to wander. (It’s also home to artwork from Peter von Tiesenhausen and shows off attractive and useful gabion walls, inside and out). All this…and it’s home to a huge variety of bird species!
Flowery Prose 
Was this stormwater treatment wetland built after the recent Calgary flood? or was it inadequate? Nice that it incorporates public art.
The wetland construction was completed before the 2013 flood occurred. I’ve been trying to find some photos/description of its role during the flood, but have come up empty so far. I will post a link if I can track something down. I did find some aerial photos that illustrate the size of the wetlands, but not under flooded conditions: http://www.o2design.com/shepard-uplands-restoration-project/.
Thanks for answering.
A calm and tranquil place for relaxing and observing wildlife.
Jean
It definitely is! Hoping to get back there this spring!
Thanks fir sharing this, i didnt kniw about the park! Someday I am going to have to stay home and play tourist on My little City!
So many places to see, all around the world! 🙂
Very peaceful shot.
It’s a relaxing place to visit, and it’s so fun to watch the birds there!
So glad you introduced us to this very cool place! I just went in search of images of the Env Ed Centre and it is stunning. Enjoyed reading about the artist and her vision as well.
The architecture of the Centre is fantastic – they did a beautiful job of it, and the grounds and wetlands are so welcoming for birds and other wildlife.