“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” - John Muir

From birds to snakes to butterflies, there are so many things being examined, counted and categorized in Riverside Park! Our Citizen Science program literally connects you to the natural world through local research. Get connected to the natural world through the Urban Ecology Center!

Check out our updated
Astronomy Notes Page!

The Citizens Behind the Science

The concept of Citizen Science is as old as science itself.

What is Citizen Science? It is the involvement of citizens from the non-scientific community in academic research. Therefore, the very first scientists were, by definition, Citizen Scientists. In the Urban Ecology Center Citizen Science Program this includes a strong group of volunteers who help with bird, mammal, snake and plant research.

Over time, science developed into academia with research institutions to separate “professional” scientists from “amateur” scientists and the term “ivory tower” came to represent the isolation of academics from the daily life of citizenry. With this separation came a misconception that amateur citizens could not be involved in “real” research because they are not trained scientists. Nothing could be further from the truth.

With careful training, anyone can collect reliable data. A prime example of how citizen scientists contribute to publishable academic research is the Milwaukee County Avian Migration and Monitoring Partnership. This partnership, which includes the Urban Ecology Center, is a groundbreaking study that uses bird physiology as an indicator of habitat quality. It requires technical skills to safely capture birds, draw blood and process the metabolites in the blood. Obviously we can’t just send anyone to do this, but there are currently a dozen or so citizen scientists who have volunteered a great deal of time and have gained the expertise through patience, commitment and training.

Does this mean that we can used only trained volunteers for this project? Of course not. This fall two ten-year old citizen scientists visited the project for the first time, full of spunk and energy. They provided a valuable service, running from mist-net to mist-net to let us know if any birds were caught. New volunteers start by observing; then they learn how to put up and take down equipment, record data and eventually learn how to safely handle birds.

It is a requirement that all research in Riverside Park use citizen scientists, from snake surveys to habitat restoration to mammal population studies. The connection between the academic world and the rest of us yields huge benefits. Researchers gain access to reliable field assistants, can increase their sampling areas and data collection power and gain local support from the community who can claim ownership. Volunteers gain an education, learn valuable research skills and experience the natural world at a new level.

According to E.O. Wilson, “Scientific natural history is one of the few endeavors in which any interested person can make original contributions to science… There are just too many kinds of organisms [to study] and too few professional scientists.” The Urban Ecology Center attracts quality research due to a dynamic group of Citizen Scientists.

Urban Ecology Center
Citizen Science Project

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.

Research partners include:

Carroll College

Cornell University

Marquette University

Milwaukee Public Museum

Teton Science School

University of Wisconsin System

Wisconsin DNR

Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges

and many more!

Contact Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science at tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org or 964-8505, x116, for more information or to become involved in a study.

Research Articles

White-nosed Syndrome: Are Wisconsin’s bats in Trouble?

by Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science

It started in New York in 2007. Thousands of emaciated bats emerged early from their hibernacula in winter and then dropped dead in piles on the ground. It’s not a vampire movie. Unlike Dracula, these bats didn’t turn to dust because they were out after sunrise. These were the first known victims of white-nosed syndrome in which a white fungus concentrates on hairless parts of bats – the nose, ears and wings. Researchers were caught off guard – why were these bats dying? Was the fungus killing them or was it a symptom of another disease? How was it spreading?

One year later, white-nosed syndrome spread to four more states. Will the disease continue to spread, eventually reaching Wisconsin? “We don’t know” says Dave Redell, bat ecologist with the Wisconsin DNR, “It certainly has the potential to spread quickly because bats can migrate or disperse hundreds of miles in a single season.”

According to Redell there are several factors that make this disease potentially devastating: 1) We already saw a large geographical expansion over a single year; 2) Mortality rates at affected caves approach 90%; and 3) bats have a low reproductive rate of 1 young per female per year, which means recovery would take a very long time.

So what can you do? There is certainly a need for research and monitoring, so you could support organizations looking into the problem. Or you could help scientists by monitoring bats in your own backyard, and you don’t need to have a Ph.D.

Through generous support from the Citizen-Based Monitoring Network of Wisconsin, the Center will receive a portable bat detector for use in our Citizen Science programming. With minimal training you will be able to walk through your neighborhood or a nearby park and the device will record the bats you come across. A frequency-lowering mechanism will allow you to “hear” bats in real-time and a GPS unit will allow you to easily produce a map of your journey, along with the location of bat sightings.

The more we learn about the current distribution, densities, habits and behavior of Wisconsin bats, the better we will be able to combat white-nosed syndrome if it does make it our way. Bats are an important part of any ecosystem, controlling insects and pests, pollinating, and dispersing the seeds of many plants, including peaches, avocados and cashews.

If you are interested in monitoring bats in your neighborhood, please contact Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science, (414) 964-8505, x116 or tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org.

Riverside Park: Hotel, Fire Escape or Convenience Store?

by Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science

Picture yourself alone on a cross-country road trip. It’s late. You’ve been driving for 20 hours. Coffee and music postponed sleep temporarily, but now you must rest. You eagerly seek a hotel, comforted by visions of a hot meal and a comfy bed. But you keep driving and driving with nothing in sight. Finally, you succumb and pull off to the side of the road where you spend a restless night trying to sleep in your car. You can’t get comfortable. Cars are whizzing by… Oh yeah, and you’re hungry, in a bad part of town and all you have to eat are Twinkies.

Now picture you’re an indigo bunting, a stunning blue bird that migrates under the cover of darkness to avoid predators. You started your journey weeks earlier in Mexico and now as the sun rises you find yourself exhausted and over Lake Michigan. You must find shelter along the coast to avoid the hungry hawks and gulls that prowl by day. You eagerly seek a forest, comforted by visions of juicy berries and dense foliage. But you keep flying and flying with nothing in sight. Finally, you succumb and land in a tree in someone’s backyard. You can’t get comfortable. The neighborhood cats are on the prowl.… Oh yeah, and you’re hungry and all you can find to eat are buckthorn and honeysuckle (the bird equivalent of Twinkies).

Anthropomorphizing aside, millions of birds face this situation during every migration. Dave Ewert, of the Nature Conservancy, stresses the importance of stopover sites along migration routes where birds can rest and replenish fat reserves. They are especially important along shores of the Great Lakes, because birds migrating over water must find land for rest and thus concentrate along coasts. He grouped stopover sites into 4-star hotels (large forests with ample food, water, & shelter), convenience stores (smaller forests where resources are available but patchy) and fire escapes (small, isolated forest patches with scarce resources that serve as an emergency backup if no other habitat is available).

So where does Riverside Park fit? We’re too small to be a Ritz-Carlton. Emergency fire escape? Not really. We’re situated along a migration corridor (the Milwaukee River) and have nourishing food thanks to our Burdock Brigade. 7-11 convenience store? Sure! This is a role we can embrace by providing service with a smile to the 155 bird species that have been found here. And remember, not all convenience stores are created equal. To attract customers, we should strive for cleanliness, convenience, safety & value – attributes that make the park attractive to wary birds.

How can you help? Next time you’re in the park, pick up some trash, or join the ranks of volunteers who perform weekly patrols. Or join the Burdock Brigade, and remove Twinkies (buckthorn, non-native honeysuckle) from the shelves in favor of healthy fruit (native dogwoods and cherries). Your customer service will be rewarded when you see a beautiful songbird who decided to pull off the road for a rest.

Current Opportunities

Monarch Larvae Monitoring

After a brief introduction to the eggs, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult stages of the Monarch, the group will comb the park for examples of all stages of the butterfly’s life. Participants collect data for the University of Minnesota’s National Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project.

Riverside Park
Wednesday, July 1
5:30 p.m.
For adults and accompanied children
$4 (Nonmembers - $7)
Call 964-8505 to register

Ephemeral Pond Study

Be a citizen scientist and help us verify our ephemeral ponds by collecting data on their characteristics. This information is used by the DNR in the Wisconsin Emphemeral Pond Project to help protect these unique habitats.

Washington Park
Tuesdays, July 7, 21, August 4 & 18
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
For everyone
Adults: $3
(Nonmembers - $5)
Children $2
(Nonmembers - $3)
Call to register, 964-8505

DNR Frog & Toad Survey

Come out for a late night of auditory froggin’ and help add to the Wisconsin DNR’s statewide database of frogs and toads run by citizen scientists. Dress for the weather and wear footwear that can get muddy. We will cover western and southern Milwaukee County. Call Tim Vargo, x116, for details.

Riverside Park
Friday, July 10
8:15 p.m. - 12:15 a.m.
For adults and
accompanied children
Free - donations appreciated (Nonmembers - $5)
Call 964-8505 to register

Riverside Park
Butterfly Count

Every year the North American Butterfly Association coordinates volunteers across three countries (USA, Canada and Mexico) to census butterfly populations. Join us for a stroll through Riverside Park to count & identify our resident butterflies. No experience is necessary.

Riverside Park
Saturday, July 11
11 a.m.
For adults and
accompanied children
$3
Call to register, 964-8505

Tree ID Hike

Come on a hike around the park to learn about the diverse tree species that Fredrick Law Olmsted planted here over one hundred years ago.

Washington Park
Saturday, July 11 & 25
2 - 3:30 p.m.
For everyone
Adults: $3
(Nonmembers - $5)
Children: $2
(Nonmembers - $3
Call to register, 964-8505

Nest Watch

Help us partner with the Cornell University’s citizen science program by making observations of nesting birds in Washington Park. Dress for the weather!!!

Washington Park
Tuesdays, July 14 & 28
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
For everyone
Adults: $3
(Nonmembers - $5)
Children: $2
(Nonmembers - $3)
Call to register, 964-8505

Water Quality Monitoring

Be a citizen scientist and help track the health of the 11 acre Washington Park lagoon. The data collected will give us a better understanding of this unique aquatic habitat.

Washington Park
Fridays
6 - 6:30 p.m.
For everyone
Free - donations appreciated

Lectures and Workshops

Ornithology
Workshop

These monthly workshops delve into the mysterious and wonderful world of birds, looking at current research and well-established topics. Presentation to be followed by a dusk birdwalk. Binoculars provided.

Riverside Park
Thursday, July 2
6:30 - 8 p.m.
For adults
$5 (Nonmembers - $10)
Free for regular birding volunteers
Call 964-8505 to register

Frogs of
Washington Park*

Do you like frogs and learning about their neat adaptations? Then hop on over to Washington Park and learn about our slippery neighbors that live here in the lagoon.

Washington Park
Wednesday, July 8
7 - 8 p.m.
For everyone
Adults: $5
(Nonmembers - $7)
Children: $3
(Nonmembers - $5
Call 964-8505 to register

Pioneering Citizen Scientists:
The Peckhams*

George and Elizabeth Peckham were world-renowned arachnologists living and working in Milwaukee over a century ago. Their achievements created a legacy of continuing value from which scientists and citizens still benefit.

Speaker: Joan Jass, Curator of Non-insect Invertebrates, Milwaukee Public Museum

Riverside Park
Tuesday, July 14
7 - 8:30 p.m.
For adults
Free - donations appreciated
(Nonmembers - $5)
Call 964-8505 to register

Darwin Lives
in our Homes:
Natural Selection, Insects and Our Household Ecosystem

You don’t have to go out into a rainforest to see natural selection at work – you just need to step into your backyard or take a look in your basement. Learn about the fascinating world of urban insects and how all of us drive their evolution.

Speaker: Ted Snyder, entomologist

Riverside Park
Thursday, July 23
7 - 8:30 p.m.
For adults and
accompanied children
Free - donations appreciated (Nonmembers - $5)
Call 964-8505 to register

Ephemeral Pond ID

Come learn about the unique habitats that amphibians and reptiles depend on for their survival. We will be outside collecting data on our two potential ephemeral ponds, so dress for the weather.

Washington Park
Wednesday, July 29
7 - 8 p.m.
For everyone
Adults: $5
(Nonmembers - $7)
Children: $3
(Nonmembers - $5)
Call 964-8505 to register