Photo essay: Winter fun in area parks!

Minooka County Park, Waukesha

Did you get out to enjoy the snow over the weekend? Lots of folks did. Everywhere I went I found people out sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, jogging, walking dogs and even cycling in the snow. After our repeated freeze-thaw cycles of January it seemed as though there was finally enough snow to enjoy winter for a change. Here are some photos.

Hundreds of people of all ages were snowboarding and sledding on the long slope down to the lake behind the  Whitnall Park clubhouse. 

Hoyt Park, Wauwatosa

Family snowshoeing at Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha

Hiking the Pike River trail at Petrifying Springs Park, Kenosha

Hoyt Park, Wauwatosa

Fox River Parkway, Waukesha

Groomed cross-country trail at Whitnall Park, Franklin

Skiers looking for a trail, Retzer Nature Center

Hoyt Park, Wauwatosa

Minooka Park, Waukesha

Hoyt Park, Wauwatosa

Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha

Photo essay: Milwaukee River Greenway in white

Riverside Park

Another gloomy winter day made lovely by gently falling snow. The landscapes of the Greenway look faded, like sepia-toned etchings discovered in a disused trunk. The starkness of the season, paradoxically, increases the sense of wildness while simultaneously making it hard to ignore the urban in the urban wilderness.

Shelter 1, Riverside Park

 

Winter tapestry, Rotary Centennial Arboretum

 

Renegade cyclist, Riverside Park

 

Shelter 2, Riverside Park

 

Gordon and Riverside Parks from Locust Street Bridge

 

Riverside Pumping Station

 

Shelter 3, Cambridge Woods

 

Tunnel to nowhere, Cambridge Woods

Bluff trail, Cambridge Woods

 

Grafitti, Cambridge Woods

 

The river, Cambridge Woods

 

Red sandstone cairn, Riverside Park

Milwaukee County Grounds: A revealing winter walking tour demonstrates citizen concern

Open house at Wauwatosa City Hall invites public input on Tuesday from 5:30-7:30

“I heard that the city had changed its plans and will be saving the woods.” That was among the many comments I myself heard this weekend in a section of the County Grounds that some have dubbed “Sanctuary Woods.” I was talking with Dennis, who comes to the County Grounds almost daily to walk his two large dogs. Unfortunately,

--> Unfortunately, Dennis had heard something misleading—perhaps from an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel—that depended on how “Sanctuary Woods” was defined. The current draft of Wauwatosa’s Master Plan would cut a road through the very spot we were standing, just like the previous version did. Dennis, like nearly everyone else I met, was surprised when he looked around at the area that would be destroyed.

The pavement on this popular pathway is a legacy of the asylum grounds that formerly occupied the site. This is where the road would go.

Fortunately, there has been an outpouring of concern about the fate of the County Grounds as well as the Master Plan itself. On Saturday a group calling itself Tosa for Good led a guided tour of the area that would be impacted by the proposed road. Despite a gloomy, overcast day, 50-60 people—including several city and county officials—endured frigid wind chills to walk the route of proposed “Scenic Drive.” The organizers had made the impact of the proposal more vivid by taping off part of the route in a 60-foot wide swath.

Caution tape indicating the width and route of the proposed road.

The tape made it clearly visible that the plan’s proposed 58-ft. wide right-of-way would obliterate a lot of natural land and require cutting plenty of trees. Virtually everyone who was there and saw firsthand what’s at stake agreed that the road should not be built.

Seven-story tall Harwood Place gives a sense of the impact that even taller buildings would have on adjacent woodlands.

When people are further informed that the proposed plan allows 10-story buildings to overlook the County Grounds there is universal astonishment. No one I spoke with wants this to happen.

The proposed road would cut a swath approximately four times as wide as this unofficial but well used neighborhood trail.

Starting at 87^th Street the tour took the group east to a section of the grounds rarely included when people discuss “Sanctuary Woods.” But this combination woodlot and wetland that drains into the Menomonee River is the most secluded on the County Grounds. A trail well packed by neighbors skirts the woods on its way to the rest of the grounds. The proposed road would slice off a huge swath of the woods and create traffic through this bucolic corner of the grounds and around Harwood Place. However, the people who live in the adjacent neighborhood have developed an organized campaign that is generating more citizen interest and investment in the master planning process.

The proposed road would replace a series of warehouses along the railroad separating the County Grounds from Hoyt Park.

This wetland adjacent to “Sanctuary Woods” was isolated when the current roadway into the County Grounds was created.

Many of the tour participants had never been on the County Grounds before and no one wanted to miss the now-famous ravine. We entered the woods and followed the west rim. The packed earth trail indicates how popular this spot has become. There is apparently widespread agreement that the woods around the ravine must be saved. In fact, the master plan would protect it.

One of two stone staircases in bad disrepair that remain from the time this was a retreat for residents of the county asylum.

However, some who still want to build a road through this corner of the County Grounds have adopted the name “Sanctuary Woods” to justify the claim that it is being saved. In other words, the formerly undefined “Sanctuary Woods” is being defined by some to exclude natural areas that would be destroyed by the road. If built, a road would severely compromise the land as habitat and setting for peaceful recreation.

A lone jogger in the woods along the ravine.

As the tour passes the second of the stone stairs a couple of children break away to climb down and up again.

Beyond the end of the ravine several trails diverge and head uphill towards the rear of Ronald McDonald House. There are three meadows in the former asylum grounds. One is a remnant oak savanna, which is not only rare but also high quality habitat. The other two are hugely popular with dog walkers. All three would be destroyed by the road and development proposed in the plan. Two woodlots that many who use this land consider part of “Sanctuary Woods” would also be cleared.

The tour grouped around one of the entrances to the woodlot separating two meadows. This woodlot and both meadows are in the path of the proposed road.

The tour turned from the east meadow and headed back towards 87^th Street, covering only half of the area that would be impacted by the proposed master plan. I returned the following day in order to complete the walking tour in photographs.

The meadow in winter

Humble as it may appear in winter with its matted grasses and dull colors, this meadow is what I consider to be the heart of “Sanctuary Woods.” It is spectacular in the summer when decked out in wildflowers and surrounded by giant oaks and maples; or in autumn when the leaves turn red and gold. Plus, this is excellent habitat for the birds, butterflies and small furry creatures that keep it spectacular. Unfortunately, the proposed road would run right through the middle of it.

The meadow in autumn

Dog walkers socializing on edge of County Grounds Park. The proposed road would go through the woodland in the background.

Sunday was as overcast as Saturday, but warmer. I met dozens of people. Most of them were out walking dogs of all sizes and breeds. Normally I keep to myself but this day I stopped frequently to chat. Without exception everyone I met had heard of the master plan. And all considered the road idea a mistake at best. Most used spicier language to describe the plan.

A small creek runs through the woodland, excellent habitat for a variety of reptiles and amphibians.

A man with a graying beard introduced himself as Tom. He told me he’d grown up in Wauwatosa and was incensed about the road. He’d seen plenty of changes over the years and he confessed that he had never been opposed to the flood detention basins like so many others had been. But this new master plan was going too far, in his opinion. He proudly whipped out his cell phone and showed me a photo he’d shot of a buck peering out of the undergrowth. “At least 6-point,” he said. “Could have been an 8-pointer.”

Danielle on her daily walk with her two dogs.

“It makes me angry,” said Danielle forcefully, referring to the master plan. “There’s so much wildlife here. If they put this road in here it will drive off the wildlife. Expect coyotes in your backyards killing your pets!” She explained how careful she was to control her two dogs so that they wouldn’t cause any harm.

The proposed road would begin at the roundabout next to the Marriott hotel at Innovation Park and run through this woodlot behind the power plant.

Two members of the Wauwatosa Common Council had taken the tour. Second District Alderman John Dubinski spoke with passion about the grounds. A retired police officer, he recalled fond memories of the County Grounds and especially the County Asylum buildings when they were still standing. “Now almost forty years later it is gone.” He enumerated the losses: beautiful brick buildings; an old red barn; baseball diamond; soccer fields; “and gone are all of the mature trees that shaded the area.”

Alderman John Dubinski: “I am strongly against the proposed road.”

“I will be taking my Grandkids for a walk through the wooded area north of the McDonald house, and taking many photos. It will be good to have a record of history should the wrong decisions be made.” When I asked specifically about the master plan he was unequivocal: “I am strongly against the proposed road.”

I counted eight owls on Sunday and I met two birders
who had driven from Iowa to see them.

In an email after the tour Third District Alderwoman Nancy Welch summed up the event: “I was impressed by the number of people from all parts of Wauwatosa who had taken the time to walk through the woods on a brisk Saturday morning. As I spoke to individuals along the way, it was clear that they valued the area, especially the ones who were experiencing it for the first time. Most conversations started with them telling me that elected officials should be listening to their constituents and doing more to protect the area. The conversation quickly turned to the quality of life that attracted them to this community and keeps them here. They were very concerned that protecting the Woods would require more than a promise to change the zoning, it will require changing the current focus on promoting too much development. I lingered after everyone left to appreciate the setting and was rewarded with the sight of a heron flying above the trees.”

Open house at Wauwatosa City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

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This is an opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and state your opinions about the plan.

More information available on the Wauwatosa website. 

To read the draft Master Plan, click here.

To see more photos of this area in other seasons go to Flickr.

An edited version of this story was published by Milwaukee Magazine on Feb. 6, 2017. 

Milwaukee County parkland threatened by gun club’s plan for shooting range

This story was first published (edited and with fewer photos) as a column for Milwaukee Magazine with the title, A Bullseye View: A Milwaukee County park on Lake Michigan may be threatened by a Cudahy gun club’s new shooting range.

A persistent, hollow rat-a-tat-tat echoed from somewhere unseen, deepening the woods. Clearly a woodpecker; seemingly a large one. Then, close by, a lighter tapping drew my eye upwards. Short bursts, like stitching, repeated at irregular intervals. A small black and white downy woodpecker flitted along the tree line next to the trail. Suddenly it was directly overhead, tapping a dead branch. In a moment it was gone. Wildlife enthusiasts live for such ephemeral moments.

I had come to Warnimont Park in early April with my friend Karen Johnson, a birder who—unlike me—can tell a downy woodpecker from a red-bellied one just by the sound it makes. We continued along the bike path, listening, looking for movement amongst the trees, bright with morning sun but still gray and leafless in the lingering Wisconsin winter. The light, lively chatter, Karen said, was mostly chickadees that have been around all winter. Their bright chirps vary from a high-pitched, serene “sweet-tee” to the occasional, more urgent “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” for which they are named.

Although it is early in the season we were hoping to hear and see a few of the migrating birds that congregate in Warnimont on their annual trek north from distant wintering areas. We have two reasons for coming to this particular park. The relative wildness of the middle section of the park along with a diversity of habitats make it one of the premier locations in Milwaukee County for birders. For my part, I wanted to see what might be lost if a controversial plan to create a shooting range in the middle of it is approved.

At its north end, next to Warnimont Golf Course, the park currently has a shooting range that is slated to close. Operated by the 83-year old Cudahy Sportsmen’s Club (CSC), the range has been used for decades by gun-owners and, occasionally, by local law-enforcement. It also has been a magnet for controversy. Its bluff-top location causes lead shot to be deposited into Lake Michigan, a serious hazard to aquatic wildlife as well as a violation of both the federal Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation Recovery Act. As a result, the Milwaukee County Parks Department finally terminated the CSC’s lease in November, 2014.

When it faced identical circumstances, the Milwaukee Gun Club, once located on the lakeshore at the north end of Lincoln Memorial Drive, was compelled to close in 1992. At Warnimont, the Parks Dept. granted the club a one-year extension, allowing operations to continue with the stipulation that steel be used instead of lead shot. But a new controversy looms over the club’s plan to relocate.

Karen and I continued to walk along the winding Oak Leaf Trail. She abruptly raised her binoculars to identify a small, yellowish shape that shot across our path. A golden-crowned kinglet, she tells me with relish, an early migrant. The woodland thins and opens into a broad meadow dotted with low shrubs. Joggers and cyclists swerve around us on the trail.

We head off into the meadow on a dirt path, following a stuttering call that Karen identifies as a song sparrow. Before long we are doubly rewarded. We spot the song sparrow among brambles and then farther along a dark-eyed junco perched atop a leafless bush.

Individually, the woodland and the meadow provide excellent cover and distinct habitats for a wide variety of local and migrating birds. Together, however, they create a remarkably diverse ecosystem, one that’s hard to match in Milwaukee County. The convergence of two habitats, such as the woods and the meadow, creates what naturalists call an ecotone or a point of transition. The mingling of species that occurs in an ecotone makes for a particularly rich environment for wildlife. This is what draws so many birders to Warnimont.

The Cudahy Sportsmen’s Club would like to create its new shooting range smack in the center of this county park’s exquisite and irreplaceable natural area. According to CSC president Tom Ahmad, the design of the range would include six trap and skeet machines, a tall shot curtain and an earth berm between the range and the bluff. Also, unlike the current range, a chain-link fence would surround the new one. The curtain and berm are necessary to protect off-road cyclists, hikers and dog-walkers who frequent the bluff-top path. They also would facilitate clean up of plastic shot wads and broken clay targets, which has been another point of contention at the current site. Bright, often toxic fragments of targets litter the steep, deeply eroded escarpment and plastic wads drift onto popular beaches below.

To the untrained or utilitarian eye, a meadow in a park might seem like the ideal place to develop—unruly grass in an already open space. That’s one of the reasons upland meadows and prairies are among the most endangered habitats in the country. But many bird species require precisely those conditions. Its proximity to the Lake Michigan flyway makes Warnimont Park especially attractive to seasonal migrants. The prospect of bulldozing this exceptional landscape—a jewel in Milwaukee County’s park system—has ignited passionate opposition.

Members of the local chapter of the Audubon Society are incensed. The chapter has posted a petition online opposing the proposed location of the shooting range, addressed to County Supervisor Jursik, whose jurisdiction includes Cudahy. The petition has over 500 signatures. And birders are not the only vocal opponents.

Jursik says that she has received calls from people opposed to the proposal “for all kinds of reasons.” Park neighbors are alarmed that the already disturbing noise of shooting would be moved closer to homes near S. Lake Dr. Aurora St. Luke’s South Shore Hospital on S. Lake Dr. is “very concerned” about it, Jursik says.

The gun club proposal, which has not yet been formally submitted, would clear cut a very sensitive ecological area of mixed conifers, hardwoods, and meadow—and one of the highest points on the western shore of Lake Michigan. It also would move the heavily used Oak Leaf Trail away from the rugged scenery along the bluff to a new route adjacent to S. Lake Dr. thus diminishing the recreational experience. The vast majority of those users have not heard of the proposal and therefore have not weighed in on the controversy.

Gun club members have framed their position as a gun rights issue. “This is totally false,” says Jursik. “It has nothing to do with second amendment rights.” The issue is appropriate land use in a beautiful public park.

When the plan was first announced the club mounted a highly visible public relations campaign to muster support, enlisting the aid of talk radio. After an initial flurry of calls from club supporters, says Jursik, “in the last 2-3 months, all of my calls have been in opposition.”

Milwaukee County is under no obligation to provide a place for the gun club, according to Guy Smith, chief of operations for Milwaukee County Parks. The club has other options on private land. Jursik says the Winchester Gun Club in Racine is willing to accommodate them.

Parks Director John Dargle expects a decision to be made by June, 2016, once a detailed proposal is submitted and after engineering and environmental impact studies and public hearings are completed.

Although I’ve cycled through Warnimont on the Oak Leaf Trail many times, I had never stopped to explore it until I learned of this issue. In the past month I’ve returned several times. I’ve seen the snow melt away and the first blush of spring buds begin to green the woodlands. Thanks to several members of the Audubon Society I’ve seen a wider variety of birds than I knew existed—and heard many more that went unseen. I’m looking forward to May when the buds will have opened, grasses will have greened, and a full array of migratory birds will arrive. 

For more photos (along with captions) from Warnimont Park, click here.