Welcome to the
Urban Ecology Center!

Imagine entering a naturally cool building, full of life: a naturalist feeding a giant snapping turtle in a huge aquarium, a group of adults comparing notes on the birdwatching walk they’ve just taken, kids coming in from outside using their special door and “stream slides” into the building’s first floor. Climbing a long staircase to the top of the lookout tower outside the building, you enjoy a view of Milwaukee’s East Side and downtown. Looking across the building, you see a roof garden, a pond and a huge solar array.
Yes this really the middle of urban Milwaukee.

Looking for one of our recent stories? Need composting directions? Find what you're looking for in our archive!

Center to Hold First Annual
Summer Solstice Soiree and Auction

The Urban Ecology Center will host its first major fundraising event on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at our award-winning green building.

The First Annual Summer Solstice Soiree and Auction will feature organic food catered by Dave Swanson’s Braise on the Go Catering and Outpost Natural Foods, music by the John Schneider Orchestra and a cash bar. The evening will include a silent auction featuring items for “green” living or getting out into the “green” and everything in between (check back here for highlights from the amazing silent auction items we have lined up!) along with a short program and sunset celebration. Proceeds from the event will support the Urban Ecology Center’s mission.

This elegant summer evening runs from 6:30 - 11 p.m. Summer cocktail attire is suggested. Tickets are $150 per person. Click here for more information or click here if you'd like to join us.

Celebrate with us and raise funds to support our mission on the longest day of the year!

Our sunshine is online!

Click here to see our solar energy station in action!

Urban Ecology Center Has Online Giving!

You can use your credit card or PayPal account to donate to the Center. Click here for details.

Looking Forward to Summer

The Urban Ecology Center has something for preschoolers to teens this summer. Get your kids outdoors!
Use the links below to explore our summer offerings.

Preschool - Middle School

Register Now For Summer Camp

Click here for a list of camps, dates
and a printable sign-up form.

Weekends are Times for Families...
and Nature!

Exploring nature as a family can enhance your child’s experience in nature. Intrinsically, most of us know this, but those of us who attend the Book Club were reminded last January as we read Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. In this book, Louv discusses the unquestionable importance of a child’s relationship with nature. Children need to experience nature, not just view it on television. They need to explore, get dirty, feel the wind on their faces, and dig for worms. This year we have three new activities for families who want to explore the natural world.

Family Series Programs

One Family Series program will be offered every month from March to October. This is your chance to do fun and interactive activities as a family! Come to one program or to all eight! Registration is required.

June 15: Finding Your Way. Kids and parents will work together to learn to use a compass and navigate to a hidden treasure in the park.

July 13: Nature Journaling. Explore Riverside Park through writing and drawing in your own recycled journal.

August 17: Outdoor Cooking. Learn how to cook over a fire in Riverside Park’s amphitheater.

September 27: Fall Festival. This event is fun for the entire family with arts and crafts, entertainment and fun outdoors.

October 19: Costume Creation Party. The final program in our family series is a party where we will create masks!

Letterboxing

This age-old pastime is coming to Riverside Park in March. Letterboxing is a “treasure hunt” style of outdoor quest that will challenge your family to solve a riddle and navigate though the park to a specified destination. Find out more about letterboxing at letterboxing.org

Backpack of Fun

Also in March, a backpack full of outdoor activity ideas and equipment will be a new addition to our lending equipment program. Borrow the backpack for a day or a weekend of exploring in nature.

Visiting Milwaukee?
Looking for a day outdoors?
Visit the Urban Ecology Center
in Riverside Park!

Did you know that our building is open seven days a week? Here are some ideas of what you can do for free at the Center:

The Center is on the southwest corner of Riverside Park opposite Riverside High School. The front entrance is on east Park Place, two blocks west of Oakland Avenue. The Center has access to the Oak Leaf Bicycle Trail, just south of Locust Street. More detailed directions.

Special Events

The Tools Three Artists Use to Express Their Vision Art Show

Community Room
Show runs through late June

Carolyn Snow uses vivid acrylic paints layered with materials found in nature, sometimes expressionistic, often primitive. Leanne de Muijnck’s “Icescapes” is an amazing series of black and white abstract nature photography. Nancy Aten has realigned her work with her ecological passions and crafts small monotypes, using materials from nature and watercolor field sketches.

Summer Solstice Celebration on the Hill

Saturday, June 21
7:30 p.m.
For everyone
Free - donations appreciated

Celebrate the solstice by drumming, sharing poetry and witnessing the sunset with local artist Harvey Taylor. Meet on the top of the “sledding hill”. Bring a drum (or use one of ours), a favorite song or poem to share and a blanket to sit on.

Droplets

Looking for information about the Interfaith Earth Network?

Click here to learn more about this partnership between faith communities and the Urban Ecology Center.

Astronomy Notes
Has a New Home!

We're happy to announce that our Astronomy Notes calendar has a new home here on the Center's website. Click here to check out its new format and extra content.

What's Happening
on Park Place?

Parking has always been an issue on Milwaukee’s East Side. Riverside Park is no exception. The Urban Ecology Center has negotiated an agreement with the MMSD to do build a “green” 55 car parking lot. This requires extending Park Place with a vehicular bridge. It might seem logical to use Belleview to access this land, but there is not enough room between an existing building and the edge of the bike path to build a legal street from Belleview to the proposed lot.

Click here for information
about this exciting project.

New Board Members

As spring is the season of new growth, so, too, has the Urban Ecology Center Board of Directors grown this spring. We are excited to announce the addition of five new members to the Center’s Board of Directors. The new Directors reflect the partnerships the Center has developed as we continue to branch out, neighborhood by neighborhood. We welcome Eric Crawford, Blake Moret, Ed Krishok, Carl Trimble and Will Nasgovitz.

Click here for a complete list
of our Board of Directors.