Urban Ecology Center

The Urban Ecology Center is one of my favorite dreams that has come true. The city of Milwaukee now has three locations where the staff of the Urban Ecology Center helps kids and community members connect with nature and foster an understanding of place. This dream began when one man looked at the possibility of Riverside Park becoming reborn into a place of wonder from a place of crime and urban decay. Though I live six hours away in Saint Louis, I can still feel the power of this dream on the community of Milwaukee and beyond. The video below showcases how the Urban Ecology Center is changing communities one hike at the time. In Saint Louis, we have an incredible system of well-supported county and state parks that give our students and families and opportunity to connect with nature, but there is more work to be done. How do we support the inherent desire of families to find happiness, peace, and connectedness with nature? How do we model this for families in nature? How do we make sure that families have the resources and supplies to make this possible? Schools and communities needs to continue to support ways to connect families to communities especially the natural beauty of their community. Thanks to Ken, Beth, and the entire staff of the Urban Ecology Center for living this dream and being models for the rest of us.