Urban Ecology Podcast

This is our second episode in a mini-series focusing on how local governments can provide public green spaces. In the City of Milwaukee, there is a clear history for this work. Around the time the Urban Ecology Center was moving into a new building in Riverside Park in 2004, leaders in the area helped Mayor Tom Barrett establish a “Green Team” for the city. Today, the Environmental Collaboration Office carries on the work of the original Green Team in distinctive ways. Many cities have opened offices that focus on sustainability, as well as the familiar parks and recreation programming. In Milwaukee, as we learn in this conversation with Director Erick Shambarger, the focus is consistently on collaboration, and the results over the past decade or so point to even more potential for the future. As in our last episode with Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, Erick shares a passion for urban ecology. His work – starting in the city budget office, joining the Green Team, and now leading the Environmental Collaboration Office – sets a high bar for other cities looking to expand access to urban green spaces.

This episode is hosted by Chris Young with contributions from Gillian Spence, and Ken Leinbach. Edited by Danny Pirtle. Special thanks to our guest, Erick Shambarger.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

In this episode, we meet Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors (https://www.facebook.com/SupervisorNicholson and http://milwaukee.gov/Nicholson) to learn about her passion for urban ecology. This is the first in a two-part series on municipal government partnerships. Nicholson explores the importance of public policymaking for protecting green spaces. She shares her passion for nature as she talks about its benefits to individual and community health. Connected to this, she returns to major themes of her work so far as a public servant, advocating for racial equity as it is impacted by disparities in funding for programs across the county. She is inspired by community organizations like the Urban Ecology Center that partner with one another, with neighbors, and with government agencies to make change happen. She is, in turn, inspiring others at the local, state, and national levels to recognize the need for continuing transformation of green spaces in our cities.

This episode is hosted by Chris Young with contributions from Gillian Spence, and Ken Leinbach. Edited by Danny Pirtle. Special thanks to our guest, Marcelia Nicholson.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

This episode completes our initial 4-part series on environmental education. Throughout this series, we have seen how programming at the Urban Ecology Center makes connections to environmental learning for children in school groups and for community members of all ages. We have seen the dynamic ways that the community informs that programming. In this episode, it is even more notable that we are only just beginning to share the diversity of the people the Center serves and how our efforts to learn from and meet the needs of our neighbors are ongoing. José interviews Martina Patterson, an educator in a partner organization called Nearby Nature. Together, they reflect on what it means to share their love of nature to inspire the passion of children for the environment through science and art. The partnership between the UEC and Nearby Nature has been in the works for several years, through the commitment of a local Sierra Club advocate, David Thomas, and this collaboration is set to grow as we move forward.

This episode is hosted by Chris Young and José Basaldua with contributions from Ken Leinbach and features special guest Martina Patterson. Edited by Danny Pirtle.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

In this episode -- the third in our 4-part series on environmental education -- we take a dive into another component of the ecosystem of education at the Urban Ecology Center: Community Programs. In conversation with educators Erin and José, our podcast interviewer Tim explores the meaning of community through the lens of these programs, as well as the ways that the focus of education differs when we consider a much wider audience. Previous episodes included descriptions of the Neighborhood Environmental Education Project (NEEP), but here the focus is all Community Programs (CP). Bringing a range of experience and different backgrounds, José and Erin share what it takes to succeed in the dynamic role of a Community Programs Educator.

This episode is hosted by Chris Young and Tim Vargo with contributions from José Basaldua, Erin Whitney, and Ken Leinbach. Edited by Danny Pirtle.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

In the second episode of our 4-part series on environmental education, we visit winter Forest Camp in Riverside Park. Two educators and about a dozen kids on piles of snow and around a campfire tell us what it takes to have fun and learn outdoors in a Wisconsin winter. Along the way, we encounter animal tracks, learn about what they eat, hear about where wildlife in the park lives, and get a lesson in what animals leave behind.

This episode is hosted by Chris Young with contributions from Matt Flower, Alex LaBonte, and Ken Leinbach. Edited by Danny Pirtle. Special thanks to our very special guests, the kids of winter Forest Camp.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

This episode begins a 4-part examination of environmental education and the Urban Ecology Center model. In this episode, we hear from Senior Director of Education and Strategic Planning Beth Heller and Environmental Education Manager Lynn Anders. They share the history of the program, and look closely at the important elements that have led to its success, some of which will be familiar to environmental educators across the world, but many of which are unique to our urban community-focused model.

This episode was hosted by Chris Young with contributions from Ken Leinbach. Edited by Danny Pirtle. Special thanks to our guests Beth Heller and Lynn Anders. 

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

In this episode, we explore the culture of equity, dignity, and justice that we work to cultivate at the Urban Ecology Center. We begin by learning more about these three terms, and why we use them to describe this work. Then, in conversation with August Ball, we explore how to create this culture, specifically when considering the lens of race and racial identity. We finish by hearing the new anti-racism commitment statement from the staff at the UEC.

This episode is hosted by Danny Pirtle and Glenna Holstein. Special thanks to our guests Carijean Buhk, August Ball, and the entire staff of the UEC.

Check out the UEC's blog post about the new anti-racism commitment statement: https://urbanecologycenter.org/item/1430-equity-dignity-and-justice-at-uec.html

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

In this episode, we explore how the Urban Ecology Center has changed and adapted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Connecting people in cities to nature and each other has remained our top priority at the UEC, but how do we do that work when we cannot gather together in person? To tell this story, we check in with three departments at the UEC to see how they've adapted their work:

• the land stewardship team who maintain our parks
• the marketing team who curate the UEC in My Backyard virtual lessons portal
• and the community programs team who continue to create meaningful programs for kids and families in our community

This episode is hosted by Danny Pirtle with contributions from Gillian Spence and Ken Leinbach. Special thanks to our guests Caitlin Reinartz, Anna Aragon, Hayley Bartlein, Payton Biwer, and Kiara Atre.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

This episode concludes our exploration of the three branches that comprise the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee. Menomonee Valley was the third branch of the UEC. This episode tells the history of the Menomonee Valley and explores the role of the Urban Ecology Center in this park that serves a diverse community of people, many of whom speak Spanish.

This episode is hosted by Danny Pirtle with contributions from Elizabeth Gamillo, José Basaldua, and Ken Leinbach. Special thanks to our guests Corey Zetts, Miguel Santos, Alejandra Jimenez, Breanna Taylor, and Karina Soto.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

This episode continues our exploration of the three branches that comprise the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee. Washington Park was the second branch of the UEC. This episode tells the storied history of Washington Park and explores the role of the UEC in this park that exists at a confluence point of many different Milwaukee communities.

This episode is hosted by Danny Pirtle and Gillian Spence with contributions from Kelli Johnson and Ken Leinbach. Special thanks to our guests Judy and Mike Howden and Terry Evans.

For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.