Urban Ecology Center Milwaukee

Urban Ecology Center Milwaukee

Urban Ecology Center Milwaukee

This peaceful retreat has been kept in its natural state with a diversity of native plants and wildlife. Tall conifers, plus Oregon ash and maples shade the four miles of easy trails and provide a haven for numerous birds, including spotted towhee, red-breasted nuthatch, mourning dove, black-capped chickadee, Steller’s jay and bushtit. Kestrels, ravens and eagles are sometimes seen in the forest.

Moss drapes tree branches, while sword ferns and native wildflowers, including vanilla leaf, Fendler's waterleaf, western trillium and Oregon grape, cover the forest floor. A small stand of old-growth Douglas fir is found within the Sanctuary.

Around the creeks grow salmonberries, Indian plum and maidenhair ferns, while pond lilies bloom in the a pool that rests in a depression of the hilly preserve. The water itself is home to cutthroat trout, crayfish, newts and Pacific giant salamanders.