What We Do
Due to COVID restrictions and safety for our members & staff, our equipment lending program will offer watercraft and bikes only for contactless curbside pickup at our Riverside Park and Menomonee Valley branches at this time. Please see below for more information
Instead of buying or renting outdoor recreational equipment, why not borrow it from us? As part of your contributing membership benefits package, we loan out our canoes, kayaks, and bikes for FREE. This Equipment Lending benefit is exclusively available to contributing members of the Urban Ecology Center. You're not a member of the Urban Ecology Center? Then join today!
$60 - Family (benefits for two adults, all children or grandchildren under 18 in a household, one guest)
$50 - Individual (benefits for one individual member plus one guest)
Contributions above $60 receive family level benefits and help advance our mission even further!
Not sure if your membership is up to date? Call our Membership Department at (414) 626-8568.
When can I borrow equipment?
We are now offering Saturday only or Saturday to Tuesday loans through Our Riverside Park branch and Friday to Monday loans through our Menomonee Valley branch. Pickups are only by equipment reserved ahead of time: Saturday pick-ups at Riverside and Friday pick-ups at Menomonee Valley.How does contactless curbside lending work?
- Become a member
- Reserve your equipment online
- Click here to download instructions. Questions about making a reservation? Contact us at (414) 626-8527 or (414) 626-8454.
- You will receive a confirmation email with pick up instructions and waiver that must be signed every time you borrow equipment
- On the day of your pick up, arrive at your scheduled pickup time and location. Stay in your vehicle and call Riverside Park (414) 626-8527 or Menomonee Valley (414) 626-8454. Have your credit card ready to pay a $20 refundable security deposit over the phone.
- Follow instructions staff will give you over the phone for where to grab equipment.
- Masks are required for all onsite loading, pick up or drop off. Please be conscious of socially distancing if others are around.
- Go have fun and enjoy equipment!
- Bring the equipment back to the same location you picked up at your scheduled drop off time and day, making sure it's in the same condition it was when you borrowed it.
- Post pictures of your adventures #myuec and tell your friends about it.
- Repeat.
Want to borrow a boat?
Each boat must have one person 18 or older who has viewed the Virtual Watercraft Lending Orientation video and taken our quiz. For your convenience, you can do this ahead of time to prepare for your reservation.
Just watch the video below, then click the link at the end to take the quiz. If you have any questions, please contact our Visitor Services Staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We are happy to help!
Don't forget to take the quiz!
Need help loading that boat on top of your car? Please bring a friend with you. UEC staff are not allowed to help.
Here are some tips for success:
Reserve online ahead of time! Our boats and bikes are popular and equipment goes fast – make sure you are reserving online ahead of time.
Check equipment status. Check to make sure you have everything you need and that the equipment is in good working order before you leave the Center.
Ask for advice! Need advice on where to go or how to use the equipment? Check out our website.
Why do you lend your equipment?
We offer this unique and exceptional benefit to our members for three main reasons:
We want to get you outside!
We love helping people have positive outdoor experiences and want to make it easy for you.
We hear the landfills are just filled with old snowshoes and gardening tools.
As a way to limit consumption, we provide our equipment lending program to encourage the use of shared resources in our community.
We don't have sugar.
Remember when you had to borrow a cup of sugar (or milk, or doughnuts) from your neighbor? Well, just substitute "kayak" for "cup of sugar." We're really just trying to be a good neighbor. A neighbor who shares lots of stuff.
What can I borrow?
Click below for a complete list of equipment available to borrow at each of our three branches. *Not all equipment will be available during this time due to COVID restrictions.
How much can I borrow with my Contributing Membership?
Click here to get more information!
For more information, tips, and resources about specific types of equipment, please select one of the options on the list to the right.
Focus Workshops
The Urban Ecology Center is a nationally acclaimed non-profit based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with 25+ years of experience using urban environmental education as a tool for urban renewal.
Two-day workshops are a deep-dive into specific topics that are a pivotal part of the UEC’s model. Staff professionals will facilitate in-depth, experiential lessons.
This learning will be most valuable to groups who want to replicate the Urban Ecology Center model. Our price per person decreases as the size of the group increases.
Tuition:
$1,200
Thanks to special funding from our sponsor and generous supporters, we have scholarships for over half of this cost!
Significant scholarships are available the first 20 registrants to reduce your cost to just $475.
The cost is even less if you are part of a team of three or more! Price reduces to $375 per person.
Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Click here to register!
Scholarships available.
Questions? Reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (414) 964-8505.
More...
Intensive
Schedule
The 2020 online Intensive will open with a live, interactive session on Thursday, August 13 (12 p.m. ET). On the subsequent two Tuesdays and two Thursdays, we will continue with additional live sessions. Two evening special sessions will be available as part of the package. Only registered participants will have access to these sessions.
Throughout the week, there will be additional videos, activities, and the opportunity to connect with others in our network. The concluding session on August 27 will include key steps for participants to use their shared learning to implement the model in their community.
Participants will have access to a total of 25 hours of interactive and guided content, which will be available beyond the concluding session. UEC team members will be available to provide additional advice and feedback.
August 13: Opening Circle and Goal Setting
August 18: Nuts and Bolts of the UEC Model
August 20: Engaging Your Community
August 25: Advice from Experts
August 27: Implementation and Closing Circle
Additional video material and interactive activities will be spaced throughout the week.
Special
Sessions
We will cover key information about the UEC model, as well as additional topics in special sessions on demand.
• Taking a Systems Approach to Abundance
• Volunteerism in Action
• Community Science and Land Stewardship
• Exploring Community-based Development
• Enacting Principles of Equity, Dignity, Justice
• Introduction to Board Structure and Board Evolution
• The UEC Business Model and Fundraising Keys
• Defining Partnerships: Panel of Community Leaders
• Fundraising and Collaboration
• Brownfield Restoration in the Menomonee Valley
• Program Planning with a Design Lens
• Facilities Planning with a Design Lens
We will work with you and your organization to provide further sessions on demand upon completion of the Intensive, which serves as an introduction to these modules.
The Online Advantage
We have learned in recent months more that ever that connections to nature and each other are vital, and facilitating them online can be the next best thing. Our online programming has received tremendous responses from our neighbors near and far. We’ve tried new things, experimented, and come away with even more options for being a part of our communities when our work is so needed. And we want to share what we have learned with you! Some plans had to be reshaped, and others were abandoned, but was has worked has taught us great things. We also believe, in the spirit of our collaborative enterprise, that you have much to teach us and each other, through our expanding network. The online Intensive will be a chance to explore some of the new efforts together, from far and wide. You can join us for some frank talk about these possibilities! Our experienced facilitators will assess your questions and interests each day. We can share with you customized options for engaging within your community in a very practical way by guiding the online conversation to address your needs.
Click here to register!
Scholarships available.
Questions? Reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (414) 964-8505.
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