Warm weather has arrived, and that means it's canoe and kayak season! If you missed this blog post when it was originally published in 2015, we think you'll find it's just right for inspiring visions of sunny days out on the water. Read on, and be sure to take a look at our full list of summer paddling programs after the post!

Here in Milwaukee we're lucky to enjoy a vast network of bike trails and routes throughout the city and beyond. Hitting 4 the Cycle is a bike ride hosted by the Brewers Community Foundation, and will take advantage of these routes while raising funds for four local non-profit organizations, including the Urban Ecology Center!

I once asked a friend of mine, if he could have anything for a birthday present, would he want? His response – a river. What an amazing answer! There is something about rivers that people are drawn to, something intrinsic. Maybe it’s the unpredictability and power of a river that commands our respect, or the mystery and intrigue of the life concealed beneath a river’s surface. Perhaps it’s the freedom and excitement we feel when we're recreating on a river. Or it could be the smell, the sound, the primal feel of the river that restores us. Maybe it’s something different for everyone…

I love a well told story. So much so that if you asked me to write a list of my favorite things, I would literally write "a well told story" somewhere in the top twenty – probably between "laughing until I cry" and "sugar." I think one of the reasons that I love stories so much is because stories can evoke just about any emotion a person is capable of feeling – and I think it's these strong reactions that make hearing and telling stories so much fun.

Hiking. Backpacking. Campfire cookouts. They sound like great vacation activities, but for the Center's new class of High School Outdoor Leaders, this was all part of the job!

Our 2014-2016 class of High School Outdoor Leaders have returned from an adventure in the Northwoods, finished their summer training, and are gearing up to start working with the Center as part of their paid two-year internship. Please join us in welcoming these 18 wonderful high school students that will become integral parts of the Urban Ecology Center community over the next two years.

This summer and fall, bring your inquisitive 8 – 12 year olds to Driven to Discover: Outdoor Inquiry Camp at Riverside Park. This 10-week program guides kids through the process of discovering answers to their own questions while being active outdoors.

I'm very excited to introduce a new series of classes for adults and teens at the Center's Riverside Park branch – The Naturalist Skills Series! These classes are designed to guide observant and inquisitive folks in deepening their understanding of ecological concepts, especially those that are prominent here in Riverside Park. Each month from April through September this learning community will engage in discussions, activities, and observations of a different ecological topic.

Reflecting on all my experiences, I’ve really come to appreciate the pure joy and curiosity preschool-aged children readily exhibit in response to outdoor experiences. I can always count on pockets full of leaves, rocks, sticks and other treasures that kids bring to show me with exclamations of delight! One of my favorite things to do with preschoolers is to flip over these large, black pads that we have in Riverside Park to reveal the invertebrate life hidden beneath. The kids help me point out scurrying centipedes, hustling isopods and wiggling worms.

Dancing! Music! Entertainment! The best nightlife in Milwaukee is at Riverside Park. Be mesmerized by the dances of lightning bugs, soothed by the symphonic sounds of insects, and amazed by the aerial acrobatics of bats at the Urban Ecology Center's new Enchanted Forest event!