Where nature is within reach.

As the monarchs begin their journey to Mexico, their tags will send radio signals to bluetooth devices along their path. Each connection adds a new piece to an interactive map, tracking monarchs traveling from Canada and across the Midwest. “Milwaukee is now an important data point in a huge collaborative effort,” Steve explains.

When a little white bus decorated with colorful plants and animals pulls up outside Milwaukee schools, adventure begins! For students in the Urban Ecology Center’s (UEC) Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP), that bus means forests, rivers, prairies, and parks are suddenly within reach.

If you don’t have a yard but are lucky enough to have a balcony or patio, you too can have your own native garden and support our local urban ecosystem. Container gardens can also be a great option for those needing something more accessible or low-maintenance. 

Thursday, July 16th , 2026, will be a day that sticks with me for a very long time. After a week of heat indices reaching 100°F and Canadian wildfire smoke blanketing the region, my climate anxiety was at an all-time high. There is something uniquely unsettling about breathing smoke from fires hundreds of miles away. It is a powerful reminder that environmental problems do not respect borders and that the choices we make, whether they help or harm the planet, ripple far beyond our own communities.

At the Urban Ecology Center, sustainability isn't just something we talk about. It is a practice we strive to live out. This commitment comes with its share of challenges, particularly given that traditional non-profit practices like fundraising galas typically carry heavy environmental footprints.