Research

Our Research Team studies wildlife and natural systems in Milwaukee’s parks and green spaces to understand how nature survives—and thrives—in urban environments.

By gathering and sharing data, we aim to understand, evaluate, and inform the interconnectedness of the natural world and humans.

When we understand urban nature better, we can protect it better.

On this Page:

How we do it

Our Research Team dives deep into the wild side of the city—studying everything from bats and birds to fungi, plants, insects, snakes, and even people! We focus on four key areas:

Urban Ecosystems
Biodiversity
Wildlife Biology
Habitat Restoration

But we don’t do it alone.

We believe research should be collaborative, hands-on, and community-powered. That’s why we create opportunities for you to get involved—join a survey, attend a Backyard Naturalist lecture, or even start your day with a bird walk.

The more people exploring and asking questions, the better we can understand—and protect—our shared environment.

Community Scientists

YOU are a community scientist.

There's always something going on with the research team at the UEC.

Check out the opportunities below:

Get Involved

Urban Ecosystems

Cities are the newest and fastest growing ecosystems on earth. Within them is a mosaic of habitats that support diverse communities of plants and animals.

As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, we are interested in understanding how humans and wildlife interact, how landscape changes impact wildlife, and the importance of urban green spaces.

Dive deeper into our research:

Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of all living things in a particular area, including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.

Why is this important? Protecting biodiversity helps improve air and water quality, supports local agriculture, and keeps our city resilient.

Our team monitors birds along with other animals (and fungi!) to better understand the diversity of life within the parks.

Long-term monitoring helps us keep track of shifts in community composition and changes in wildlife populations over time at the UEC, across Wisconsin, and throughout North America.

Get Involved

Interested bird watchers of all ability levels are invited to explore our branches on our weekly bird walks.

Bonus: you contribute to our long-term bird monitoring!

Bird Walks

Wildlife Biology

Our research spans topics like habitat use, migration patterns, population genetics, and how species interact with one another.

Think about how Monarch butterflies leave Milwaukee in the fall and return in the spring—that’s migration! Or how foxes choose a safe place to raise their pups—that’s habitat use. Even the way bees and flowers depend on each other is part of what we study.

Thanks to both our in-house scientists and the community members who join us in discovery, we’re able to contribute valuable knowledge to the broader scientific community—while deepening our connection to the land right here in Milwaukee.

Habitat Restoration

We team up with our Land Management crew to study how their restoration work affects the wildlife in the parks.

By keeping an eye on “indicator species”—animals that react to changes in the environment—we can see what’s working and what needs adjusting. These species help us measure success and fine-tune our efforts so that more plants and animals can thrive.

For example, the return of beavers to Milwaukee is a hopeful sign that our habitats are becoming healthier and more supportive of diverse wildlife.

A beaver coming back to the Milwaukee River

Backyard Naturalist Series

Join us every Friday morning for our virtual lecture series! Learn about wildlife, plants, sustainability, the night skies, and more.

Check out our previous lectures on YouTube

Support the series with a subscription! Our Super, annual, and seasonal subscriptions give you automatic access to all Friday lectures including guest lectures, discounted workshops and courses, a free monthly field trip (normally $20/trip), and a Subscriber Appreciation party (in-person). What a deal!

Sign up for the Series

Simplify your registration and become a subscriber to our Backyard Naturalist series.

Learn More

Annual Reviews

Data Requests & Availability

Much of our data can be found in free and accessible online repositories like eBird & iNaturalist.

If you are a student, researcher, or community scientist and would like help finding data we’ve collected or would like access to data held internally for a project or study, please contact GIS & Field Data Manager, Amanda Tokuyama (atokuyama@urbanecologycenter.org).