Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

In this native plant highlight, we are going to look at the carrion-flower (Smilax herbacea), a member of the Smilacaceae family. Plants in this family are shrubs, herbs, or vines and usually perennial. The Smilacaceae family is found in tropical to sub-tropical environments, so you can think of the Carrion-flower as a piece of paradise in Southeast Wisconsin!

I want to tell you about one of the most incredible sights and sounds I have ever experienced. But before I can even begin to describe it to you, I need you to listen to something. So, close your eyes, imagine yourself under a big broad New Mexico sky. Now, click the play button below.

As the weather cleared in the past several weeks, work on the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum resumed in full swing. The contractor has just about finished grading the site and covering it with rich topsoil—soon to be followed by seeding with a mix of native plants and the installation of erosion control mats made of coconut fibers.

So, how does one woman raise a family, turn a business into one of Wisconsin’s largest woman-owned enterprises, form a community organization dedicated to her passion, and collaborate with local leaders and dignitaries to create one of Milwaukee’s great attractions all in the same lifetime? This same woman, now settled into retirement, is still going strong and impacting our community in positive ways. I was eager to know how she does it.

"Who would have thought just a decade ago, when we were still in our double-wide trailer, that our "Milwaukee Idea" of solving a social problem in a park with kids' education and the magical connection to nature would have the kind of national impact we are experiencing today? I certainly never did, but I am humbled and proud to represent Milwaukee and our simple yet profound idea. And isn't it cool that this idea evolved here in a Midwest industrial town? This is not Portland, Oregon, Boulder, Colorado, San Francisco, Boston or New York. Somehow this adds credibility to our story."

One vital component of the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum is the development of trails that are sustainable and universally accessible. This past summer, Milwaukee County repaved some of the historic trails in Riverside Park originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1893. When the Arboretum is complete there will be a network of universally accessible trails near the Urban Ecology Center that will, for the first time, allow those in a wheelchair to independently navigate the park and even the river bank! Emanating from these paved paths in either direction are gravel paths that an ambitious wheelchair user can explore.

In May 2012, the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum project applied for a grant of $1.2 million from the Wisconsin Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.  Administered by the Department of Natural Resources, the Knowles-Nelson program makes funding available for conservation of wildlife habitat and access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

The Urban Ecology Center's Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP) is wrapping up it's 13th school year! And our first year at our Menomonee Valley branch. That's 13 years of kids connecting with frogs, birds, turtles, the land, science and each other.  

Fishing with children is an activity that will never go out of style. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush you get when there is a fish on your line and you are wrestling to reel him in. Once that fish is out of the water flipping and spinning at the end of your pole you feel like a true fisherman. It is definitely an accomplishment. I feel this way because I have seen the look of achievement on so many faces after catching a fish. Once you get past the initial "yuck" and "no ways" when hooking worms, you see a light turn on inside of them as they realize this sport can actually be fun... until you have…

The Green Birding Challenge is a friendly birding event to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day (IMDB) and raise money for Community Science programming at the Urban Ecology Center. We had 12 teams compete in four categories (walking, sitting, biking, and a mini-challenge). Teams recorded 112 species of birds and raised over $4800. This year, 10 Young Scientists from Washington and Riverside Park participated in the mini-challenge! Winners received trophies and experiential trips (canoe trip, hawk-watching trip, etc.) and the team with the fewest birds found received a free trip with the research team to work on bird identification skills.