Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog
Once upon a summer day in 2016, an Urban Ecology Center member named Marybeth (same name – but not me!) decided to borrow a canoe through our equipment lending program and go out to explore the Milwaukee River. She knew that a week from then, she was going on a first date with a close friend and wanted it to be special. After that test run she decided to have their date on the river - an intimate time together in nature.
I don’t know what it is about candlelight and winter, but we Wisconsinites sure seem to love the combination! Maybe it’s the beauty of flame light glistening on fresh snow, or maybe it’s the reassurance that light *will* eventually return. Or maybe it’s just the simple nudge we need to remember that we don’t have to stay cooped up in the dark and cold of winter — a reminder that there is fun to be had on wintry evenings!
Ah, the birds are singing and the sun is shining! Maybe it’s the mid-winter heat wave. Maybe it’s the vision of summer camp dancing in our heads. We’re getting ready for summer camp at the Urban Ecology Center and looking forward to the highlights of the summer season as we swing with the winter weather. As summer camp registration draws near, we look forward to the activities and programs we’ll lead when school’s out.
My most memorable “nature moments” as a kid involved close encounters with animals: meeting live snakes at Riverbend Nature Center in my hometown of Racine, encountering bighorn sheep on a family trip to Badlands National Park, going fishing in lakes in Northern Wisconsin. At the Urban Ecology Center, our mission is to connect people to nature, and providing interactions with animals is one of the most visceral ways we do that.
Over the past six years, 24 acres of land near our Menomonee Valley branch were transformed from brownfield to outdoor recreational greenspace along the southern bank of the Menomonee River. Today, people know this area as Three Bridges Park! Where a series of train tracks and piles of rubble once stood, native plant species now flourish and birds, mammals, frogs, toads, butterflies and dragonflies call this park home again.
Whether you are one of the more than 100 million Amazon Prime members or an avid in-store purchaser, the holidays can rack up a lot of extra cardboard and packaging material quickly. Here’s how to spread holiday cheer while keeping Mother Earth in mind. Let's commit to a more earth-friendly holiday season!
My name is Carlos Manriquez and my role at the UEC is the Menomonee Valley Visitor Services Specialist. Even though it's very rewarding to be able to work with UEC visitors, special groups, and help with events, one of my favorite parts of my job is supporting the UEC's High School Outdoor Leader program!
“You’ve never been to the Candlelight Walk?!” I’ve heard this question a dozen times since starting to help plan for UEC's annual Riverside Park Candlelight Walk. It’s as though I’ve told my colleagues I’ve never been to Target (which is certainly not true since I find myself there at least once a week).
You may have noticed that bird walks comprise the majority of community science opportunities at the Urban Ecology Center this time of year. And while our species counts may look closer to the temperature these days (if we’re lucky), there are still discoveries waiting to be made. Last week both our Menomonee Valley and Riverside Park bird walks found something we’ve never found before: a Nashville warbler in November!
Common witch hazel (CWH, Hamamelis virginiana) is hardly common in the wild and even less so in landscaping. In Milwaukee County CWH is only found in a handful of older growth forests. This unique large shrub or small multi-stemmed tree blooms October through November!
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