Environmental Education

Students at the Urban Ecology Center get so involved in what they’re doing — and have so much fun — they don’t even realize how much they’re learning!

From tapping maple trees for syrup, to ice skating on the Washington Park lagoon, to donning hip waders and carrying magnifying glasses to look for damselflies, leeches, clams and crayfish in the Milwaukee River , there is always an opportunity for nature based learning!

On this Page:

A new model for environmental learning

In the city, people often live in apartment buildings and school grounds are often covered in cement. The Urban Ecology Center offers unique urban sanctuaries and “outdoor laboratories” for neighborhood school children.

The UEC’s staff and volunteers serve as adult mentors to guide students, year after year, as they progress through school.

Based on this model, the Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP) partners with schools within a two-mile radius of our branches at Riverside, Washington, and Three Bridges Parks. Rather than arranging for single field trips, each participating school signs up for an entire year. This provides them with multiple visits to each park, spread throughout the school year, and ongoing participation in the program each year.

If your school is outside the two-mile limit, scroll down to "more opportunities" to learn other options!

Private Group Experiences

We provide foundational nature-based outdoor programs that bring neighborhood green spaces to life with hands-on explorations for curious minds!
From rock climbing to twilight hikes, our Adventures are designed to foster team-building while learning a new outdoor skill to take with you.
Winter Adventures Menu
Spring Adventures Menu

NEEP

The nationally recognized Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP)’s innovative approach to environmental education offers a unique opportunity for you to supplement your science curricula. With NEEP, schools partner with the Urban Ecology Center for an entire year, transforming the experience from just another field trip to a permanent outdoor classroom where you can reinforce science concepts taught in class with hands-on outdoor activities during multiple visits.

Our science-based programs range from basic wildlife and ecology studies, to the physics of sound and light, to simple machines, to energy, to recycling. At a time when physical education programs are being cut, the UEC also offers valuable kinesthetic learning opportunities, including rock climbing, canoeing, hiking, snow shoeing and ice skating. Our custom designed programs meet the needs and desires of the teachers and school districts.

For more information

To find out more about why the Urban Ecology Center is more than just a field trip site, contact Lynn Anders, Environmental Education Manager, (414) 964-8505, x103 or landers@urbanecologycenter.org

National Recognition for NEEP

The National Environmental Education Advancement Project selected the Neighborhood Environmental Education Project as one of the most unique and effective programs in the state, inviting us to share our model with five different urban regions in Wisconsin.

Environmental Education Sponsorship Opportunities

The Urban Ecology Center relies on community sponsors to help provide terrific programming to schools. Each school contributes a portion of the cost for a NEEP contract and generous donors and corporate partners contribute the remainder. Contact our Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager, Meenal Atre, at (414) 964-8505, x136 or matre@urbanecologycenter.org, if you or your organization would like to become a NEEP sponsor.

Ensure environmental education is available for students in Milwaukee!

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For the 2022-2023 year, the Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP) was supported by*:

  • Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
  • BMO Harris Bank
  • Brady Corporation
  • Clare M Peters Charitable Trust
  • Dorothy Inbusch Foundation, Inc.
  • Eaton Corporation
  • Go Outside Fund
  • Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors Youth Foundation
  • Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Inc.
  • Green Bay Packers Foundation
  • Herzfeld Foundation
  • Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation, Inc.
  • Komatsu Mining Corp Foundation
  • Maihaugen Foundation
  • Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
  • Neroli Salon
  • Puelicher Foundation, Inc.
  • Ralph Evinrude Foundation
  • Rexnord Foundation
  • Rockwell Automation
  • Steigleder Charitable Trust
  • Target
  • U.S Forest Service
  • We Energies Foundation
  • Weyco Group, Inc.

*Last updated 6/19/23

PEEP

Preschool Environmental Education Project (PEEP)

Through the Preschool Environmental Education Project (PEEP), participants form relationships with the nature in their neighborhoods through a wide range of educational options. PEEP offerings include traditional school year, seasonal and summer experiences for young children and year-round opportunities for grown ups who teach and inspire children. This ensures our youngest children have multiple opportunities to connect with the outdoors.

Learn More

Contact Us!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Nature-based Early Childhood Team if you would like more information or have any questions!

NbEC Educators Alex LaBonte, Matt FlowerPEEP Email: education@urbanecologycenter.org / PEEP Phone Number: 414-626-8564

Summer Camps

Summer camps at the UEC are oh so special. Kids form a connection to nature through hands-on adventures and healthy outdoor fun!

The camp website will be available to browse on January 17th, and camps will officially open February 6th.

Camps are available for kiddos in pre-k all the way through 8th grade and there is no shortage of activities to choose from! Biking, Fishing, Forest Camp, Outdoor Detectives are just a few from the selection of camps you can expect!

Check out our 2024 Summer Camps

More Opportunities

Whether you are teaching the basics of birds or looking to liven up your after-school program, the Center has many opportunities that will excite your students. The following programs are available for all Milwaukee area schools.

Private Group Experiences

We provide foundational nature-based outdoor programs that bring neighborhood green spaces to life with hands-on explorations for curious minds! From rock climbing to twilight hikes, our Adventures are designed to foster team-building while learning a new outdoor skill to take with you.

Winter Adventures Menu

Spring Adventures Menu

Summer Adventures Menu

Community Science

Bridging the gap between research and the community is the goal of the Community Science program. If you are interested in involving students in hands-on research, such as bird monitoring or monarch tagging, contact Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Community Science, (414) 964-8050 ext. 116, tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org.

Service Learning

What can be better than learning by doing? Help the Urban Ecology Center improve the natural areas of our parks and learn about these important habitats through a service learning project. Contact Davita Flowers-Shanklin , Volunteer Program Manager, (414) 964-8505 ext. 110, dflowersshanklin@urbanecologycenter.org.

Family Programs

We offer lots of public programs for families! Check out our Events Calendar to see what we have to offer, including weekend programs.

Latest from our Blog

Fall Colors: How and Why?

By
Caitlin
Reinartz
on
March 20, 2024
I recently read Matt Flower’s awesome post entitled “The Beauty of Fall Trees” where readers got a great overview of the magic of fall colors. After reading his post and looking at his stunning photos, I got excited to do a “piggy-back post” about the science behind autumn colors. Read on to find out more about what changes trees undergo in the fall. Why do leaves turn colors? How do they change color? Why do individual trees change to certain colors while others change to a completely different color?

25 years of reflection, looking ahead to future UEC leadership

By
Ken
Leinbach
on
March 18, 2024
It is with great pride and genuine excitement for the Urban Ecology Center (UEC), that I announce a very positive leadership transition at the Urban Ecology Center. In June, I will be stepping down from the Executive Director position and the organization will welcome new leadership. This is a change I have been working on with the UEC Board and staff for the past several years and I am happy to share that Jen Hense will become the UEC’s next Executive Director.

Fall Colors: Behind the Scenes

By
Caitlin
Reinartz
on
March 20, 2024
Fall is such a wonderful time of year. The entire forest turns into a spectacle of color and light — a showy and powerful promise from Mother Nature that if we huddle through these few cold months, she’ll be back and better than ever. Walking through the woods in fall, with a crisp silent breeze and only the sound of feet through dry leaves, one might think that the forest seems to be settling down for a big nap.

The Beauty of Fall Trees

By
Matt
Flower
on
March 15, 2024
In the summer, it's difficult to see the individual trees when looking out across a tree line due to the overwhelming shades of green. But in the fall, trees are going through their process of getting ready to survive the cold Wisconsin winter, making it easier to identify specific trees and pinpoint the location of some spectacular examples!

Overwintering Plants: Science and Practice

By
Caitlin
Reinartz
on
March 20, 2024
Winter is on its way, and I'm preparing by unearthing the wool socks and long johns buried in the back of my closet, and by covering my windows with plastic (one of my least favorite chores). All this preparation makes me think of my little plant friends, who are also busy preparing for winter in their own way. How can a living thing freeze solid for months, then thaw out the next spring and continue on its merry way? And how can we humans help prepare our plants for their big sleep?
Read More