2017: A year in the urban wilderness

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Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area

2017 was a very active year in the urban wilderness of Milwaukee and beyond. As is my custom, I bring you a recap of the year, although it was harder than usual to narrow down the selections. In part, this was because I made a decision early in the year to limit my blogging activities to this, my Urban Wilderness blog, and to discontinue Arts Without Borders. In a very real sense I am sorry to see it go, as I continue to value the arts and find great pleasure in my outings. However, the more singular focus has enabled me to expand on the themes of this blog.

Lobster Claw, Mitchell Park Domes

Another reason for the growth of this blog is the project I began in 2017 with Preserve Our Parks, of which I am a board member. We’re calling it A Wealth of Nature. The intent is to celebrate and promote parks and wild places in Milwaukee and vicinity. Yeah, I know: it sounds a lot like what I’ve been doing for years. And it is! But the project has given me new enthusiasm and gotten me out intentionally to discover many places I had yet to explore for myself. Stay tuned. The project is just beginning. A new website is under construction.

And so, the (edited) year in review. Follow the links in each blurb to read the whole story and see the photo essays. (Note: I am including columns written for Milwaukee Magazine as well as my own blog.)

Autumn in Noyes Park, Milwaukee

Or just check out the year in pictures as you scroll down.

Sanctuary Woods and Medical Complex from Co Grounds Pk

2017 began with a bang as the City of Wauwatosa, where I live, unveiled a master plan that included roads and dense, high-rise developments in the last remaining parcel of green space on the Milwaukee County Grounds. “Sanctuary Woods” became a rallying cry for both sides in a contentious (and on-going) debate that I revisited many times over the course of the year:

January: Master plan would bulldoze the last corner of the County Grounds

January: The specter of bulldozers floods City Hall with citizens

February: A revealing winter walking tour demonstrates citizen concern

April: Citizens to Wauwatosa: NO more development on County Grounds

May: Wauwatosa committee moves to protect County Grounds

November: Sanctuary Woods gets national recognition

Candle-light hike at Three Bridges Park

February brought out the best in people as Three Bridges Park held its first ever candle light hike and winter celebration. It was a smashing success, despite frigid temperatures.

Thousands flock to candle-lit Three Bridges Park

March found me revisiting a favorite spot. My largely monochromatic photo essay:

Somber skies and solitude at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

Oak savanna at Indian Community School, Franklin

April brought spring and another, more colorful seasonal photo essay:

Transformation: The week spring sprang

In May I took a tour of oak savannas, a rare and endangered ecosystem:

Oak savannas in Milwaukee County

Things got real busy in June.

I visited four Milwaukee County parks and one Ozaukee County park to highlight “hidden gems:”

Milwaukee area parks: 5 hidden gems

Showy lady slippers at Cedarburg Bog State Natural Area

I returned to Ozaukee County for a tour of the “Treasures of OZ:”

“Treasures of OZ” celebrates nature in Ozaukee County

Beulah Bog State Natural Area

Then out to Walworth County for a first look at:

Beulah Bog State Natural Area

In July I revisited the Rotary Centennial Arboretum in Riverside Park for a special tour highlighting edible and medicinal herbs:

Riverside Park’s arboretum offers an enchanting array of wild herbs

In August I reported on what I learned and experienced at my first ever City Parks Alliance national conference, in Saint Paul, Minnesota:

Greater and Greener: City Parks Alliance Conference in Saint Paul

Kayak tour of Milwaukee's inner harbor

I served as Artist in Residence for the Harbor District, Inc. from January to September. In August I took one of two kayak tours of the inner harbor and filed this photo essay in September:

A kayak’s-view of Milwaukee’s inner harbor

Another seasonal photo essay:

Summer bouquet: Area parks alive with flowers

September found me learning even more about edible plants, this time at Theresa Marsh in Dodge County:

Edible wild plants: A guided tour at Theresa Marsh

Prairie clover, Lakeshore State Park

Did you catch Milwaukee’s first ever boat parade and decorating contest? Here’s a photo essay:

Boat Parade

Cuyahoga National Park, Ohio

In October I went to Kenosha County for a photo essay of two parks:

New Munster Wildlife Area and KD Park

In November I filed my final seasonal photo essay from five parks in Southeastern Wisconsin:

Chasing autumn in Milwaukee area parks

I also took advantage of a road trip to a family Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh to stop off at Cuyahoga National Park near Cleveland, OH:

Thanksgiving at Cuyahoga National Park

Kratzsch Conservancy, Washington County

December took me to Washington County where I joined in another tour:

Kratzsch Conservancy is a treat

Kenosha County Sustainable Living Educational Park