Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

In our home we have subscriptions to a lot of things, from my hometown newspaper to our internet service. In 2014 we decided to subscribe to healthier eating, though at the time we didn't know that's what we were doing. We just decided to become members of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm after hearing about it for so many years from our friends.

Here at the Urban Ecology Center, we love to celebrate different events, activities and programs offered throughout the year. To celebrate winter, we hosted several great outdoor programs, including excursions to Lapham Peak for cross country skiiing by candlelight. Not only were we excited about this program, but the attendees seemed to have a blast as well. One attendee, Dan, is a contributing member here at the Center who recently wrote a guest blog that reflects on his experience at this program. Read on to hear why Dan enjoyed this program due to its built-in sense of camaraderie.

Ce-le-brate good times, come on!There’s a party goin’ on right hereA celebration to last throughout the yearsSo bring your good timesand your laughter tooWe gonna celebrate your party with you Do you remember that song from Kool and the Gang? Well guess what folks, we have our own Kool Gang and wow, do we have something to celebrate!

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.

"When are the gardens going to be open?!" This is a question that the Menomonee Valley Young Scientists would ask last year over and over again. The roar and grumble of the tractor machinery was heard throughout Three Bridges Park as workers installed 40 raised garden beds and three arbors, airy structures that will support vine plants.

The Urban Ecology Center is delighted to welcome Terrence (Terry) Evans as the Center’s new Branch Manager for our Washington Park branch. Terry brings with him 19 years of nonprofit experience, nearly a decade of which has been in leadership roles in Milwaukee. Specializing in youth development, job training and community organizing, he looks forward to focusing those talents in the Washington Park neighborhood.

Let's be honest, nature is awesome. The splendor and beauty that it holds is more that we can bear: breathtaking sights like the Grand Canyon, or the smallest ant that can lift 5,000 times its weight. There are things that will only be seen on rare occasions (sun dogs – a crazy light phenomenon), and things that will be taken for granted because it's seen day in and day out (the sunrise). We are going to discuss one of those "everyday" wonders: seed dispersal.

The season started off slowly, but it finally feels like winter in Washington Park. Between the solstice and the New Year we “enjoyed” above freezing temperatures and a complete lack of snow. But now that there’s a chill in the air and snow on the ground, Washington Park is a neighborhood hotspot for winter fun!

I wanted to know how much the second graders visiting the Center that morning already knew about pollination, so I asked, “Can you name an animal that might want to eat nectar from flowers?” “A bee!” “Yes! Any others?” “Bats?” “Yep, some of them do!” “Butterfly?” “Absolutely!” “Pikachu!” His answer caught me off guard. I’m used to kids spotting sharks and alligators in the lagoon at Washington Park — and even the occasional troll under the bridge — but Pikachu?

I once found a frozen snapping turtle in a river. He lay motionless under a sheet of ice still looking very much alive. His long tail and thick neck were unmistakable through the blurry ice. The image served as a reminder of the difficulty of being a wild animal living in a Wisconsin winter: an unfortunate casualty of harsh sub-degree temperatures, unable to find a nourishing morsel when most needed. A short-time after encountering the turtle, I investigated how turtles survive the winter. I was surprised to read that turtles can live motionless under the ice by going into a type of hibernation. Alas, the turtle I had encountered earlier in the winter hadn't been dead, but had been peacefully…