With the addition of 25 acres of land along the Milwaukee River and Oak Leaf Trail to the existing 15 acres of restored natural lands of Riverside Park, we are gearing up for adventures and exploration of our new 40-acre Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum. You are invited to join in the fun through our new volunteer docent program. This training will prepare you to lead other nature and outdoor enthusiasts in learning about the Arboretum.

The gift of $400,000 pledged by Rotarians in 2008 to create the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum was the catalyst that brought together an impressive array of partner organizations needed to bring the project to fruition. The diverse mix and unique expertise of the partners is a testament to the broad appeal of the project, which has energized people and groups across all sectors of the community.

One of the largest single sources of financial support for the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum is a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

We often say that in developing the Rotary Centennial Arboretum we are “converting old industrial land along the revitalized Milwaukee River into a natural jewel for the city.”  But what does it take to do that?

Two action teams are complementing the work of the partner organizations on the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum –one team focuses on design elements of the Arboretum and other comes together to ensure completion of the fundraising.

As the weather cleared in the past several weeks, work on the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum resumed in full swing. The contractor has just about finished grading the site and covering it with rich topsoil—soon to be followed by seeding with a mix of native plants and the installation of erosion control mats made of coconut fibers.

One vital component of the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum is the development of trails that are sustainable and universally accessible. This past summer, Milwaukee County repaved some of the historic trails in Riverside Park originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1893. When the Arboretum is complete there will be a network of universally accessible trails near the Urban Ecology Center that will, for the first time, allow those in a wheelchair to independently navigate the park and even the river bank! Emanating from these paved paths in either direction are gravel paths that an ambitious wheelchair user can explore.

In May 2012, the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum project applied for a grant of $1.2 million from the Wisconsin Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.  Administered by the Department of Natural Resources, the Knowles-Nelson program makes funding available for conservation of wildlife habitat and access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

The Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum is becoming a reality thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Pieter Godfrey, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, The River Revitalization Foundation, Wisconsin DNR, Milwaukee County Parks, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition and many more donors and volunteers.

See what's been happening with your support!

Ok, I’ll admit it. When Pieter Godfrey discussed the idea of converting the land he wished to donate into a unique ecosystem of trees … he and I had only a vague notion of what exactly an arboretum was. My instinct in calling it an Arboretum instead of a park was less biologic and more practical - a marketing tool. The name had the panache to attract attention and hopefully the support needed for the ambitious project of tearing down an old factory and reclaiming the worn industrial land into public green space. When the marketing plan started to work, and support started to pour in, it became evident that understanding the term Arboretum was important.