People are finding many ways to celebrate this warm (maybe a little too warm?) summer. The one that has caught my attention the most is fireworks. As the night skies filled with flashing bright colors and a resounding loud noise, I’ve found myself considering the effects of fireworks on our urban environment from an ecological perspective.

Fireworks affect all of us in Milwaukee in more ways than you might imagine.

As my summer internship comes to an end, I begin to reflect upon the impacts and memories made during my time at Urban Ecology Center. I remembered when I first received a call from Anna, the Marketing Manager about an in-person interview. My interest in photography went perfectly with the job duties. The interview quickly approached and I was nervous but, at the same time, confident about the interview and getting the summer internship. Two weeks later, I received the big news- I was hired! I was beyond thankful and super excited to learn, make memories and gain more skills over the summer. 

Famous Wisconsin conservationist, Aldo Leopold was a hunter and fisherman. Not only did these activities provide him with food, they also connected him deeply to the land. In “The Sand County Almanac” he described how draining and channelizing along the Mississippi River wetlands aimed to bring economic growth to the area, but instead left his boyhood marsh “impoverished.” While some may consider fishing a controversial activity, we at the Urban Ecology Center understand that with proper guidance, it can launch a life-long commitment to protecting our local freshwater systems.

Summer internships tend to get a pretty bad rap; most people hear the phrase and immediately conjure up images of windowless offices with fluorescent lighting, mind numbing data entry tasks, and endless coffee runs. At the Urban Ecology Center, however, interns do pretty much everything but sit in an office! Over the last two weeks, the Center’s thirty summer interns participated in training and teambuilding activities at all three branches, and we had a blast doing it. Check out these highlights!

They say that you don’t know the true value of what you have until it’s gone. I grew up in Milwaukee, and while I spent lots of time in the parks, I never fully appreciated the uniqueness of our city’s urban natural spaces. Now, as I begin my summer working with the Urban Ecology Center, I'm excited to explore these recently rediscovered hidden outdoor gems!