Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

It was time to go pick up the kids for another fun field trip so I headed over to the nearby school in one of our buses. Once at school I waited a few minutes for the class and soon the line of little ones came walking down the hall. The group of K5 children was eager to see me and very excited about the field trip they were going on. I asked them if they knew what we were going to be learning about that day and one child eagerly responded with, “Habitats!” I told the group that we were indeed going to be learning about habitats and animal homes and then we headed to the bus to begin…

Beginning as early as the 1850s and continuing for over a century, urban planners increasingly focused on grand designs for parks that would restore communities by providing a place of leisure and recreation. Seeing the transformation of rural America and the expansion of urban populations, it seemed that the loss of contact with open spaces created pathological conditions in cities. 

I was first introduced to the Urban Ecology Center in the year 2002 through my job with Milwaukee Public Schools. At this time, the Urban Ecology Center was no more than a trailer, yet something about the place was special. I can remember seeing children extremely excited to learn about animals and go on nature hikes. I was just as excited to see them experience these things!

The Climate is undeniably changing; globally, regionally and especially within the Urban Ecology Center’s birding programs. This spring marks the 9th Anniversary of the Green Birding Challenge and the 3rd year of the Brew City Birding Festival.  What are these events and how are they changing?

As a volunteer, Camoya remembers, “The first thing they had us do was canoe…and I’ve never canoed before. I was really nervous and it was completely out of my comfort zone. But they were like ‘you can do it, you can do it!’” “The staff were very encouraging. So we got in the canoe and we canoed the lagoon. It was one of the best days I’ve ever had here.” From Camoya’s first introduction to the Washington Park Urban Ecology Center as a youth volunteer in 2014 to her years in the High School Outdoor Leader program and then acceptance to college in the fall of 2018, we’ve loved being a part of this amazing young woman’s journey!

Because of your support, our next generation of environmental scientists is growing. Up and out the door at 6 a.m., Analiese is ready to dive into the latest Community Science research project at the Urban Ecology Center! It’s not how you’d expect an 11-year-old might start her day. But for Analiese, walking a few doors down to the UEC at daybreak was a weekly routine during the summer of 2018.

As Black History Month draws to a close, our Equity, Dignity, and Justice team at the Urban Ecology Center wanted to highlight some of the black folks who have shaped, led, and grown the environmental movement. The faces associated with environmentalism in our societal storytelling are often white ones, but in reality black (and brown) folks have been caring for and protecting our environment throughout human history. Here are some black environmental leaders we love:

I want to tell you about an amazing employment opportunity that the Urban Ecology Center has for high school students. But first, let’s do an icebreaker. What was your first job? For me, it was babysitting. I worked with many different families, which meant different expectations from employers.Some families paid fairly, others did not. There were well behaved children and those who saw a parent date night as an opportunity to cast off all the tyrannical rules set in place for them.

I have every intent to cook healthy, delicious, well-balanced meals for Josh (my husband) and Jude (my two-year old) but every time I venture off to the grocery store I end up with the same ingredients. I swear I make every effort to stop by the produce section and examine all of the colorful fruits and vegetables. I often admire those fearless shoppers who throw jalapenos, bok choy and kale in their carts. They seem brave. They seem to know what they are doing.

I got started volunteering at the Urban Ecology Center through small mammal monitoring in the summer of 2012 and have been fortunate enough to help with that project at least a few times every summer since, alongside numerous other projects. These opportunities and the UEC have helped me get to where I am professionally, granted me steady friendships, taught me so very much, and, most importantly, welcomed me, enthusiastic quirks and all, with open arms.