Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

“This is important work. More than that – this work has allowed me to realize the value I internally place on nature, play and children’s health. It has taken me back to growing up as one of only three families living around a small lake we now fondly refer to as “Walden.” It has allowed me to formalize my understanding of how nature’s loose parts had a great influence on my play as a child, and also on the value I place on environmental protection and nature engagement as an adult."

We are overwhelmed by your support for the Urban Ecology Center's 7th annual Summer Solstice Soiree.   The Riverside Park branch was full of energy as we celebrated nature in the heart of the city and we are grateful for the generosity of our guests, sponsors, board of directors, friends and volunteers!

The Urban Ecology Center’s Summer Internship progran is a dynamic employment opportunity for adults. It’s a win-win; The Center gains valuable help during our busiest months and Interns get a summer they’ll never forget!

“Ken, in addition to our gift for your early childhood program, we are also interested in giving you a little extra to write a book. We think that the story of the Urban Ecology Center is an inspirational one that needs to be told.” Wow! How cool is that? This remarkable, unsolicited gift came last year from a foundation that had just started their support. However, it has not been until very recently that we have actually figured out how to carve out the necessary time to put a book together. I mean, really, how do you even start? Well, in typical Urban Ecology Center fashion we’d like to start with you!

Have you discovered the often overlooked avenues of our city, sunken below eyesight yet content to calmly carry on under the bustle above? I'm not hinting at a new subway system, nor am I promoting spelunking in our sewers. These unlauded arteries Milwaukee is so lucky to have go by three names – Menomonee, Kinnickinnic, and Milwaukee... the three beautiful rivers that literally give the shape to our city. I'm writing today so that you may fall in love – get swept up in a head-over-heals affection for the great waterways Milwaukee has been graced with. And the best way to do so is through the Summer Paddling Series offered at the Urban Ecology Center! If you have yet to…

Many of the Urban Ecology Center staff, volunteers and community members love taking photographs of the wildlife and vegetation in our parks. Who can discount the natural beauty of an unfurling fiddlehead or the pure white flower of the bloodroot? Many photographers find the natural world a source of limitless inspiration for their art. Others take photographs to record phenological observations. Phenology is the study of the timing of natural events, such as the first bud break, the first appearance of a migratory animal, the making and breaking of ice on lakes and more. The first appearance of the nodding head of the yellow trout lily is not only photogenic, but it is also a harbinger of spring. The date…

Forests are filled with mysterious and beautiful happenings: the flickering light of fireflies in summer nights, the almost instantaneous blooming of flowers on a spring morning, the dance of colored leaves falling in autumn, and snow-covered branches in the winter. We have a mystery to solve at the Urban Ecology Center too and we need your family's help solving it!

Everyone, no matter their age, can teach, help and learn at the Urban Ecology Center! See for yourself how older adults through teens are mentoring Summer Campers and students who will in turn be the environmental leaders of tomorrow. Research shows two things make a person environmentally aware – constant contact with nature early in life and a mentor who demonstrates positive behavior toward the environment. With this research in mind, we train interns to be mentors to high schoolers, who in turn become mentors to our Summer Campers. Come in today to see how your whole family can learn, work and grow at our Center. 

Acrophobia. That’s the Latin name for a fear of heights – but forget that for a second. Instead, let me introduce you to Abstentisfelixtriumphusphobia. Admittedly a word made up without any knowledge of Latin, but if you’ll allow it: “A fear of missing out on a really fun time and/or the opportunity to feel triumphant.” Or how about Ascendopetropariesiphilia, an “irrepressible love of climbing rock walls?” Well, with the opening of the rock wall for our 2014 climbing season, we’ve got a cure for all these conditions!

Construction to rebuild and stabilize a section of bluff will be starting Monday May 12th around 7:30 a.m. The construction is expected to continue until the end of the month. The area that is being worked on is just south of the Locust St. bridge where the bluff washed out by flooding in summer 2010.