Where nature is within reach.

The Kestrels are here! The Kestrels are here! On June 15th, 2026, the Urban Ecology Center’s Research Team and fellow staff were led by Danny Erickson, from the Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station, in a bird banding excursion at the Menomonee Valley Branch of UEC.

Because of your support, children across Milwaukee are experiencing the kind of summer that stays with them forever: climbing their first tree, catching butterflies, and discovering that even when it rains, the adventure doesn’t stop.

If you’ve taken a stroll through Riverside Park lately, you may have spotted Urban Ecology Center (UEC) staff out among the trees with chainsaws and loppers, and found yourself wondering, “wait, aren’t they supposed to be protecting nature?” It’s a fair question, and the answer is actually a beautiful example of what thoughtful land stewardship looks like.

Have you ever wondered how to tap into work in the environmental field or a non-profit? When you step back, what stands out isn’t just the number of roles, it’s how interconnected they all are. Whether your interests are in science, communication, finance, technology, or working directly with people, there’s a place for that passion in nonprofit work. And when all of those pieces come together, they create something much bigger than any one role could on its own.

When looking at the world around us today, we might feel like we have no way of making a change big enough to matter. As a young college student, it’s hard to wrap my head around what I can do to help my community. But just like anything, taking the first small step matters more than you can imagine. I find that inspiration blossoms within myself and those around me through small acts of kindness and initiative. When we take one seemingly small step—like volunteering, supporting a neighbor, shopping locally, cleaning up a local park, donating to those in need, or simple acts of kindness—we set everlasting change in motion.