Who We Are
The Urban Ecology Center is a neighborhood-based, environmental education, nonprofit community center. Our “outdoor laboratories,” located in two urban parks, include 15 acres of wooded land and riparian habitat on the east bank of the Milwaukee River, an imaginative, habitat-themed playground, and a lagoon. The “green” building in Riverside Park that houses our main offices, resource areas and classrooms is home to live animals, informational exhibits and user-friendly resource materials about the environment.
We are:
- Volunteers
- Young children
- Mature adults
- Teens
- Scientists
- Educators
- Writers
- Performers
- A diverse, community building group
Our Home in Riverside Park
Urban Ecology Center's headquarters are located between the Riverwest and East Side communities, one of the most populated and diverse areas in Milwaukee.
Urban Ecology Center's outdoor laboratory consists of 12 acres of wooded land and riparian habitat on the east bank of the Milwaukee River. The resource center and classroom is a short walk from the natural area This building is home to live animals, informational exhibits, and resource material about the Center and surrounding area.
Our Green Building
We are proud of our 20,000-sq.-ft. green main building located in Riverside Park. Dedicated in September 2004, the building has won national awards for its use of recycled or renewable materials. With this facility as a base, the Center will continue to be an important conduit between residents and nature. This green facility was built totally with community support.
Click here for a booklet that describes the building’s features.
Host your next party at the Urban Ecology Center! Contact Mike Larson at mlarson@urbanecologycenter.org or (414) 964-8505, x126.
Be sure to see these highlights when you visit our
earth friendly building in Riverside Park:
- At a huge 44.4 kilowatts, the solar electric panels now covering the roof at the UEC are the largest such solar installation in the state of Wisconsin. The system, originally installed in 2003 by H&H Solar Energy Services of Madison, started out as a 48 module array. With the addition of 208 solar panels, the completed system now consists of 256 Kyocera solar panels mounted directly to the Center’s metal standing-seam roof. The Kyocera panels are expected to produce over 55,000 kilowatt-hours each year.
- Library of Sustainability featuring healthy, eco-friendly building and remodeling materials and systems. The Library of Sustainability is a multi-function library of sustainable materials and systems
 information housed at the Urban Ecology Center and the first comprehensive resource center of its type in Wisconsin! A joint effort with Solterra Studios, Pragmatic Construction, Green Built Home, Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, and Outpost Natural Foods, this library provides information to the public on the importance of building green, as well as raising the awareness of, and requests for, sustainable healthy building products. In addition, it helps our members develop and expand contacts within the architectural, design and construction communities, and with product manufacturers/vendors.
Hours: The Library of Sustainability has a staff member available to answer questions
on Sundays, noon - 2 p.m. and Mondays, 4 - 6 p.m. Among the resources you’ll find in the LOS:
- Exhibit of alternative materials and products along
with the raw material from which they are made
- Library with in-depth information on eco-friendly design
- Contact information for product sources and service providers
- Computer that can be checked out to obtain up-to-the-minute information from the Internet
- Information about products and materials used in the UEC, directions to see them on site and fact sheets about pros, cons, installation and costs.
- Tower with 40-foot climbing wall.
- Secret entrance where you get to slide into the Center.
- A hidden classroom. Can you find the 80 animals camouflaged within its four murals?
- The Native Wisconsin Animal Room, home to turtles, snakes, fish and frogs.
- Art exhibits in the Community Room.
- A huge Milwaukee Aerial Puzzle.
- A pond that has a people-powered fountain.
- The watershed map of southeastern Wisconsin painted on the floor.
- "Reused" hardwood maple floor that's over 100 years old.
- Green roof garden that holds the tipi in winter.
- Wrap around porch made of wood scraps from the construction of the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
- Rainwater flush toilets - choose between a half tank or full tank flush.
Urban Ecology Center Building Facts
Size: 20,000 square feet
Cost (with tower): $3,700,000
Architect: Joel Krueger, Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc.
Construction Manager: CMA of Milwaukee, Inc., a division of The Jansen Group, Inc.
Project manager: Monique Charlier
Site supervisor: Dave Drew
Awards:
6th Annual MANDI (Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation)
State Farm Insurance and Financial Services Building Blocks Award - Small Project March 10, 2005
Leading Edge Award
2004 Real Estate Development Showcase Awards
Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women
Our Home in Washington Park
In fall of 2007, the Center expanded, adding a satellite facilty in Washington Park. (click here for more information about this exciting project) Washington Park, another of Milwaukee’s Frederick Law Olmsted parks, is a nearly 135 acre home to a wide diversity of birds, wildlife, vegetation and a community of people looking to revitalize their neighborhood. Students from this neighborhood will be able to participate in the Urban Ecology Center’s Neighborhood Environmental Education Project. The resource center is housed in a Milwaukee County park building.
What We Do
Research shows that children who explore natural areas throughout their childhood, guided by environmentally literate mentors, are likely to become ecologically responsible adults. All of our programs — from our award-winning Neighborhood Environmental Education Project to our fun-filled Urban Adventures programs — are designed with this research in mind.
The Urban Ecology Center has programs and resources for:
Schools/Teachers
Families and kids
Adults
Teens
Youth Group Leaders
Neighborhood Environmental Education Project
 Each year, over 15,000 students and teachers from 30 neighborhood schools explore the ecology of their local community with the Urban Ecology Center. Educational programs enrich the existing MPS K-12 science curriculum with outdoor hands-on learning experiences. The philosophy behind our school programs is based on research showing that two things that make a person environmentally aware:
Constant contact with nature early in life and
An adult mentor (parent, teacher, friend) who
demonstrates positive behavior toward the environment.
In the city people often live in apartment buildings, and school grounds are often covered in cement. Riverside Park offers a unique urban sanctuary and “outdoor laboratory” for neighborhood school children. And the Center’s staff and volunteers serve as adult mentors to guide students, year after year, as they progress through school. Click here for more information about this nationally recognized program.
Urban Adventures
At the Urban Ecology Center we believe that positive time spend outside in nature contributes towards the development of an environmental ethic.
Thus, the Center offers nature-based outings, for example: hiking, rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking.
See the Events Calendar for scheduled Urban Adventures. You can also schedule an outing for your group or organization. Contact Urban Adventures Coordinator Chad Thomack for details.
Citizen Science
Participate with researchers in actual scientific field research. As an assistant in a Citizen Science project you are really connected to the natural world.
Three ways to get involved:
Researcher – if you are a university professor, graduate/undergraduate student or an interested community member you could initiate a project within Riverside or Washington Park. The Research Coordinator assists with project selection, design and arranging of volunteer research assistants.
Research assistant – work side-by-side with researchers collecting data.
Research observer – watch research in action. In addition to area researchers, you could also get involved in a national research project with one of our partners. For example, you could monitor nesting birds for Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.
Contact Tim Vargo, Research Coordinator at tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org or (414) 964-8505, x116, for more information or to become involved in a study.
Summer Youth Camp
Curiosity rules at the Urban Ecology Center summer camps! With trained, professional environmental educators as their guides, summer campers investigate the natural world using green spaces located in Milwaukee and surrounding areas. Our groups are small and active, just six campers per educator! From amphibians to water ecology, campers learn about science through hands-on, down-in-the-dirt activities and outdoor sports. We also offer canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, beach combing and other outdoor activities that allow for environmental exploration from a variety of perspectives.
Adult Lectures, Workshops and Discussions
The Center offers monthly Life Long Learning programs with topics related to:
- Local environmental issues
- Environmental information
- Natural history
.jpg) Ways in which to live lightly on the earth
See the Events Calendar for this month's schedule.
Weekend Family and Youth Programs
Visit the Center on weekends and do hands-on
science experiments or nature oriented crafts.
On Saturdays at 1 p.m. families are welcome to
help us feed our animals during our free
Animal Feeding Time.
Stewardship
The Center coordinates stewardship activities within Riverside Park for schools, religious organizations, and community groups.
High School Outdoor Leadership Progam
Urban Ecology Center’s High School Outdoor Leaders are a fun,
diverse group of area high school students who spend their summer
in the urban and the wild learning to teach others about the environment.
In other words, hands-on, all-in experiences with nature.
As a High School Outdoor Leader you can:
Explore the natural areas around Milwaukee while building experience in outdoor adventure and leadership skills.
Make a difference in your community by mentoring local school children.
Seek adventure while exploring the ecology of the Greater Teton Ecosystem of Wyoming.
Gain job experience in Environmental Education, scientific research, outdoor education and more through a paid internship.
Travel, camp, teach others and get paid! Click here for details!
Internships
The Urban Ecology Center is an internship site for local universities and high schools.
Community Interest Groups
The Center is the base for many community groups, including:
- Urban Stargazers
- Vegetarian Potluck
- Urban Ecology Center Camera Club
- Paths to a Sustainable Future
- Friends of Real Food
The Urban Ecology Center educates and inspires people to understand and value nature as motivation for positive change, neighborhood by neighborhood.
Our Environmental Community Centers:
• Provide outdoor science education for urban youth.
• Protect and use public natural areas, making them safe, accessible and vibrant.
• Preserve and enhance these natural areas and their surrounding waters.
• Promote community by offering resources that support learning, recreation, stewardship and camaraderie.
In all that we do, process is as important as the end product, and everything has a community focus. From the daily donation of baked goods by Alterra Coffee Roasters, to the over 250 active volunteers, to the community-designed and -built exhibits in the classrooms—we spell “Community” with a capital “C”.
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