Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

The Urban Ecology Center always encourages everyone to enjoy urban nature any time of the year as we truly believe that the wonders of the outdoors bring people together. And winter is not an exception.  Between sports and outdoor winter activities, including Urban Candlelight Hike, Pop-Up Excursions, and Adventure Days, there are plenty of amazing things to do in Milwaukee in the winter.  At the Urban Ecology Center, we are offering great activities to do outside during the coldest season of the year.  Here are a few of our highlights for this winter:

“I think we’ll be members forever now.” The Urban Ecology Center had the opportunity to speak with new members, Linda Gorens-Levey and Mike Levey, about their experiences with their UEC membership thus far, and aside from their cheery commitment to being lifelong members, following is some of what they had to share when asked why they decided to sign up. Mike explained, “We had two great experiences this year.” Mike and Linda’s son, Ben, had been living at home while working remotely since last March, and they were looking for outdoor family activities. Linda had been aware of the UEC for several years and decided to sign the family up for a cross-country skiing class led by UEC staff member…

We are happy to announce that Meghan Schopp will be joining us as our Director of Education, starting on Monday, December 13th. Meghan will be coming from the Milwaukee Public Museum, where she leads program development, builds community partnerships, and helps guide strategic planning while managing an interdisciplinary team that delivers innovative programming for children, families, and lifelong learners.

The holidays are around the corner! We sure hope you'll enjoy time relaxing, spending time in nature, and connecting with people you care about.Looking for some holiday gift ideas? Give the gift of a UEC experience! Plus, you'll be supporting our mission of connecting people to nature and each other. Urban Ecology Center gifts are gifts that keep on giving!  Check them out:

As holiday shopping season nears, a collaboration of over 40 Milwaukee-area nonprofits, including the Urban Ecology Center, are joining together to emphasize the importance of supporting our communities through an effort called Giving First on Tuesday, November 23rd. The Giving First date flips the script by coming one week before Giving Tuesday, which traditionally falls after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber-Monday shopping and has been a day of giving for many nonprofits. Local nonprofits put the community first all year long and hope the community will put them first this giving season.

The leaves are turning and the cool air is unpredictable, fall is here! As we are taking in the wonderful fall activities, the Volunteer Department at the UEC is slowing down and wrapping up some of our ongoing volunteer opportunities, and getting ready to celebrate you, our wonderful volunteers.

The path that led Chamong Xiong to the Urban Ecology Center this summer has been a winding one. His story of being called back to the land is an inspiration for all of us to do the same and cultivate a meaningful connection with the outside world. Even if it means taking risks and leaping into the unknown to find it.

The Urban Ecology Center hosted our 7th annual HKE MKE from September 25 through October 2, 2021! Hikers had over 30 hikes to choose from including a sunrise hike in the Menomonee Valley, a history hike in Washington Park and a hike and watercolor painting session in Riverside Park. Through the combined efforts of all of our hikers and some generous matching donors, over $57,000 was raised! We are humbled by the generosity of our participants, and by the generosity of their friends and family. HKE MKE raised important funds to support the Urban Ecology Center's mission to connect people in cities to nature and each other.

  “My daughter and I are not outdoor people. UEC is an organization that helped us see things differently.” Catrina Crane laughed as she explained how her relationship with the outdoors has changed during an interview with the UEC discussing her experiences as a member. She began by recalling how she first became involved with the Urban Ecology Center, “I have a daughter who is 18 now, but at the time she was maybe 6, and I chaperoned one of her school trips [to the UEC] and it was really cool to see the kids work on plants and things like that. I was an up and coming Girl Scout leader so I kind of piggybacked off of what I…

Paige Simenz fondly recalls her experiences as a kid in the Urban Ecology Center summer camps. Growing up in nearby Shorewood, she says, “I had this sense that whenever I was here, I was exploring, I was doing big things, I was making scientific discoveries. And that stayed with me throughout my entire life.”