“I enjoy supporting an organization that brings nature to the city!” Grace Fuhr said of her UEC membership. “Our family lives in Riverwest and we often take walks along the Milwaukee River. Having the UEC and Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum across the river is an amazing asset to our community.”

“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 experienced during that trip and brought my troop back to UEC a couple of times. It was a lot of fun! From there I started putting my daughter into some of the summer camps.”

We are so excited to announce that two of our staff have moved into new roles at the Urban Ecology Center. Glenna Holstein is now the Membership Manager, a new position focused on engaging our members, recruiting new members, and enhancing the membership experience at UEC. Angélica Sánchez Mora is now our Menomonee Valley Branch manager.

Summer is here! Perhaps one of the most encouraging and beautiful silver lining unintended benefits of the current pandemic is that a lot more people are spending more time outside. Parks have closed roads to vehicles to encourage more pedestrian traffic, and folks are enjoying social distancing in the beautiful natural spaces our city has to offer. As a result, a lot of community members have been turning their eyes to the Urban Ecology Center. “It’s summer… when can I borrow a kayak?”

The answer… soon! The Urban Ecology Center has a plan for the gradual restart of onsite work (GROW- click here to read the full article).

The Urban Ecology Center is an environmental community center with the mission to connect people in cities to nature and each other. Our members are a key component of this mission and an example that everyone can join together in this endeavor. With your help, we connect kids to local green spaces through school partnerships, to environmental science through internships, and to sustainable learning opportunities. This valued support also allows us to protect and enhance public green spaces to make them safe, accessible and vibrant for everyone. In addition to contributing support to our mission, Besides giving to us, members receive unique benefits that help them to be an active, engaged, healthy and eco-conscious member of our community.

I have a lot of memories that were made on the Washington Park Lagoon. The most memorable has to be when I totally slayed in ice hockey my first time ever playing! Okay, I didn’t really slay - I survived in style. While I tell you about it, I’ll throw in some facts about a cool opportunity available to you at the Urban Ecology Center at Washington Park.

Summer is in full swing here at the Urban Ecology Center! The windows are open, the bullfrogs are croaking, there are interns everywhere, and the boat racks are empty every weekend during these hot, sunny days.

While our canoes and kayaks are quite popular, did you know that we lend a third type of watercraft to our members as well? Stand up paddleboards (SUPs)! If you find yourself wanting a new, up close, adventure on the water give our paddleboards a try!

Tia Richardson is a Milwaukee-based community artist who provides visual arts programming as a tool for community-building for young people and adults, focusing on how community art reinforces empathy and cooperation with one another. She met Davita and I at Menomonee Valley one afternoon to share how she became a member of the Urban Ecology Center about two years ago, and how membership continues to provide her with an essential extension of her community and her home.

Pat Mueller and Roger Coleman are two of the most familiar faces at the Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center, each one sharing a history with the Center that goes back nearly two decades and an appreciation that persists to this day. You’ll find Pat volunteering behind the reception desk every Thursday morning and Roger back in the office 5 days a week completing his Volunteer Program internship. They met with us at Riverside Park one afternoon to tell us their thoughts on nurturing, growth, and taking care of what you have.

Steve & Barb Weinstein have lived in the Riverside Park neighborhood since 1978. Steve bikes the Oak Leaf Trail every day, at times stopping to rest and take in the sounds of children playing in the park. He strolled into Riverside Park one evening after work and told me about his history with the Center; thinking back to when this building was nothing but a dream and his daughter was too young to work, he spoke of the Center’s growth with a strong sense of pride and a hint of nostalgia.