Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

There is certainly no shortage of snow in the Milwaukee area this winter! While this may mean more time spent shoveling and snow-blowing, it also means more opportunities to see the animal tracks left behind by our local critters! Fun family adventures and lasting memories are waiting as close as your backyard or neighborhood parks. All you need is company and warm clothes (and maybe a ruler and camera if you want to do some serious detective work).

A growing body of research confirms what we might have intuitively known all along: it’s good to stop and smell the roses! Research shows that time in nature is good for our mental health. More specifically, an emerging scientific field called ecotherapy has shown a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduced stress, anxiety, and depression1.

I’ve always thought that February feels like the longest month of the year. I know technically it’s the shortest, but after two months of winter cold and a lack of sunshine, the novelty of winter has worn off, and February’s ruthless assault of cold weather gets old fast. I always felt trapped inside my house while waiting for warmer weather when I could go finally enjoy the outdoors again. Then I joined the Urban Ecology Center. The community here has a shocking enthusiasm for getting outdoors - even in the long stretches of February!

Plows rumble through the streets creating piles of sledding potential and wonderful winter experiences while every peek of the sun promises warmer weather to come. As we relish each moment of the changes in our outdoors, we are getting ready for summer camp at the Urban Ecology Center!

In appreciation of the many ways our staff have kept our mission impact going during the pandemic, we are giving all of our staff a paid Wellness Week from January 16th-22nd. That means, with a few exceptions to maintain essential functions and security, all of our staff are taking a well-deserved week off. It takes a lot of coordination to make this happen, but it is worth the effort to give everyone time to step away from their work and take care of themselves.

As another year comes to a close, it is common to look back on the year that was and revisit highlights, memories, and lessons learned. I imagine that whenever we look back, 2020 will always have a giant asterisk next to it. So much about this year was different, thanks largely in part to the pandemic that continues to keep us socially distancing and working virtually as much as possible. It's easy to think of this as an entirely negative experience, and in many cases, correct to do so. But one silver lining that came from this new virtual lifestyle at the UEC was the Urban Ecology Center in my Backyard portal. As the coordinator of this effort, I feel…

Back in September, the Urban Ecology Center challenged you to help document signs of fall using the free mobile phone app, iNaturalist, to record and submit wildlife and plant sightings to an international dataset. There were almost 400 observations that were submitted spanning 45 different species from September through November! New England Aster was by far the most documented species with 90 observations. Canada Goldenrod and Calico Aster were next two most documented species with the Asian Lady Beetle coming into fourth with 25 observations. Nice job to everyone documenting some sure signs of fall and participating in the Fall Phenology Challenge! Be sure to check out the results of the Fall Phenology Challenge here

Young children don’t grow up knowing inequities, they just know the world they see around them. One child may wake up to littered streets, a concrete playground, perhaps a few trees in the median. Another child may wake up on what appears nearly to be a different planet. A lawn and garden outside their door, a playground full of trees and squirrels, and access to safe green spaces just around the corner. Each child is unknowingly receiving messages from the environment about the value of beauty, the value of nature, and even self-worth. These two contrasting worlds exist in some cases less than half a mile apart! 

Hey everyone; Van from the Washington Park UEC here. This month, I want to share with you some music that our earth and our climate inspired. Music is one of the most popular mediums to share our ideas and emotions as a human race. This is a list of 9 of my favorite songs about the earth and its people (in no particular order).

The flavors of Thanksgiving are always something to celebrate, even if the holiday looks a little different this year. Family recipes can carry stories from Thanksgivings past, which is especially important this year. If this year is time to make some new memories, gather up your household and try recreating some of these dishes! These dishes take holiday classics and make simple adjustments to accommodate smaller groups!