When I first walked through the doors of the Urban Ecology Center as a new educator for the Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP), I was struck by how much life surrounds the Center. I’m sure you’ve noticed it too. All of it; the land, the animals, the children and the community that make the Urban Ecology Center such a vibrant hub of activity, is because of you. Thank you!

While Else Ankel humbly underplayed her influence on the Urban Ecology Center, she is often referred to as the founder. Today we acknowledge her life with gratitude and our hearts go out to her family and friends as we mourn her passing.

Environmental education is at the core of our mission. The main way we accomplish this during the school year is our Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP). Through NEEP our partner schools send students to our branches for hands on science and environmental lessons.

We’re educating the next generation of environmental leaders. Plus, they have so much fun they don’t realize how much they’re learning!

Every summer we hire a new batch of interns and every summer we impressed with their ability to teach us new things about the Center. This year we had two Visitor Services Interns whose stories really reminded us of how the simple act of welcoming someone can make a big difference in their life.

The Urban Ecology Center hosted our second annual benefit hike, HKE MKE, on Sunday, September 18 and it was a beautiful day for the 2.5 mile hike! Over 400 people of all ages enjoyed the hike along the Milwaukee River Corridor and the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum, participating in interactive stops along the way.

Grab your popcorn, because once again the Urban Ecology Center is proud to be a Community Partner on two different Milwaukee Film Festival selections. Read on for a preview of what’s in store this season.

How can you express all that the Urban Ecology Center is to so many people and animals alike? These photos are just a small sample of what you can find at our branches. But there's a thread that goes through all of what we do - life! There's so much life!
Look for the phrase “So Much Life” in our communications and use it with your friends. When they ask why you’re a part of the Urban Ecology Center, just say “Because there’s So Much Life!” 

As a child, my bed was flush up against the window in my bedroom. That window provided me with my first encounters with nature.

In winter, I was so mesmerized by the snow-capped trees and gently covered ground, I would stare out the window for hours. It became a sort of game for me to decipher when the deer would pop out from beyond the trees.

In summer, the breeze would come through the open window and at night the crickets would put me to sleep.

In the springtime, I’d eagerly await the flowers and the smells that would come from the forest.

As we reflect on the state of our city, we are deeply saddened by the events of this past weekend and the underlying issues that have afflicted Milwaukee for decades. They are complex, systemic issues that cannot be solved overnight or oversimplified.

There have been many voices responding to and explaining the unrest this week, and we are listening intently to the pain, anger, sadness and messages of hope and growth being expressed by community members.

I have said many times before that the Outdoor Leader Program is by far the best first job I could have gotten. Unlike many other jobs, I was not given one-day training and thrown into my work; I was given several weeks to learn. All of the staff that volunteered to train, teach, and work with us were patient and did the best that they could to take care of us and our needs. In the weeks that I was given I created unbreakable bonds and friendships with my coworkers as well as experiences that I never would have gotten anywhere else.