Rain doesn't dampen enthusiasm at Monarch Trail event on County Grounds

The Monarch Trail is an 11-acre protected butterfly habitat that circles around the Echelon Apartments on the Innovation Campus of the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa. It is currently awash in a magnificent spread of brown-eyed Susans.

The Friends of the Monarch Trail held their annual migration season kickoff celebration yesterday. Despite periods of light rain a good crowd enjoyed displays about monarch and other butterflies, the remarkable story of the 3000 mile migration, and the significance of the County Grounds as a roosting site. For the first time the event was held in the courtyard of the Echelon Apartment complex, in front of the recently renovated Eschweiler-designed historic Administration building. In a sign of the growing popularity of the event the Milwaukee County Parks Department provided a traveling beer tent and Cousins dispatched a food truck.

Ceole Cairde, the Irish ensemble, were on hand to provide musical accompaniment, as usual. A new feature this year was the McDonald family troupe of fife, drum and Irish dancers (above).

As if on cue, in the midst of all the merriment wild monarch butterflies quietly began to flutter into the courtyard and roost on the tree closest to the action (below). This bit of serendipity caused a sensation. Barb Agnew, the director of the Friends of the Monarch Trail considers it the precursor to what is likely to be an excellent season for butterfly watching. For updates on trail activities go to the Friends of the Monarch Trail website.

To see more photos of the Milwaukee County Grounds and Monarch Trail go to my Flickr album.

Eschweilers to come down as Echelons rise: Photo essay

Followers of the Milwaukee County Grounds likely have already heard the sad news: At least two of the four historic Eschweiler buildings are to be "partially" demolished. The Mandel Group, which is in the midst of constructing their Echelon apartment complex in a ring around the site, has plans for all four. The former Administration building is to remain as a centerpiece to the Echelon development. The small engineering building may be converted into a single family home. The dormitory and dairy buildings are to be demolished down to the first floor. The remnants are to be re-purposed as "walled gardens."

There's more to the story, which was covered nicely and very thoroughly by WUWM's Susan Bence & Michelle Maternowski. To read it click on: Striking An Imperfect Balance: Development, The Eschweilers & Monarch Butterflies .

I thought I'd add a few visuals to the story, so I went out yesterday and walked around the entire site to document the current situation:

The Eschweiler Administration building (left), which is to remain, and the northernmost apartment building under construction. View from Discovery Parkway.

The dairy building (background) has had its roof tiles removed. The interior is being gutted prior to deconstruction. The Administration building is on the right. New windows and roof tiles have already been installed.

The apartment building in the northwest corner of the site was the first to get underway and is the furthest along. View from the Monarch Trail.

Workers constructing one of the Echelon buildings (foreground) while other workers remove roof tiles from the Eschweiler dormitory building (background).

View looking southeast from the Monarch Trail of the Echelon complex (left) and the ABB building (right).

View looking northeast from the Monarch Trail of the Echelon complex.

Milkweed pod spreading its seeds on the Monarch Trail.

To see more photos of the County Grounds, go to my Flickr album. 

The Friends of the Monarch Trail and followers of the County Grounds have their eyes on another issue. The section of the grounds known as the east woods, which is located north of the power plant and Ronald McDonald House (see map below), has long been an area of concern as the last remaining segment that may or may not be preserved. I've written about it before, but there will be more to come.

 

7th Annual Migration Celebration on the County Grounds a great success!

Yesterday the Friends of the Monarch Trail held their 7th Annual Migration Celebration on the Milwaukee County Grounds. The activities took place in the quadrangle of the Eschweiler buildings and around them in the butterfly habitat zone. It was a beautiful day!

Many of the usual activities took place. Butterflies were tagged and released. A long line of people took a tour of the Monarch Trail. Ceol Cairde once again provided lively Irish music.

A new addition this year was a "Moving for Monarchs" Program featuring dancer Gwynedd Vetter-Drusch. It became far more than a performance as Vetter-Drusch engaged with the large crowd, solicited interactive dance moves, and led everyone in a group dance celebrating the Monarch migration. It was lovely to see so many enthusiastic supporters dancing together. I was too enthralled myself to take photos during the group dance but here is Vetter-Drusch in butterfly costume performing later with Ceol Cairde.

Wauwatosa Common Council to act on TIF for County Grounds

The Wauwatosa Common Council is set to debate and decide this Tuesday whether or not to grant a TIF--tax incremental financing district--to support plans by the UWM Real Estate Foundation and the Mandel Group for residential development around the Eschweiler Buildings.

The importance of this decision for the fate of the beleaguered historic structures and the Monarch Trail habitat surrounding them, as well as for the development plans, has been outlined in an op-ed article in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The authors of the article are Barb Agnew and Jim Price, founders of the Monarch Trail and indefatigable supporters of habitat preservation on the County Grounds.

Click here to read "An important vote in Tosa for UWM plans."

Milwaukee County Grounds: Island of Hope

Imagine parkland large enough to lose yourself in; a park with diverse topography, plants and animals; imagine a variety of public and private interests who collaborate on park stewardship. Now imagine that this park is in the middle of the most densely populated region in Wisconsin. Welcome to the Milwaukee County Grounds. 

My newest book, called The Milwaukee County Grounds: Island of Hope, explores the grounds and highlights ongoing issues in an effort to preserve and enhance this remarkable place. The book features a Foreword by Nancy Aten, award-winning principle of Landscapes of Place, LLC., as well as my photographs. It celebrates the land in all of its diversity and provides a vision for its future. 

The Milwaukee County Grounds: Island of Hope is meant to inspire appreciation for the importance of the grounds and to raise awareness about issues of preservation, ecological integrity, and biodiversity. Intact, this natural corridor will be an amenity and irreplaceable asset for nearby businesses, the adjacent Regional Medical Complex, and whole community. The County Grounds is a place of natural beauty that facilitates emotional, physical, and spiritual health and well-being. 

During the late twentieth century city and suburban residents alike became increasingly disconnected from the natural world. However, since the turn of the century there has been a resurgence of interest in urban parks and natural areas. Residents and city planners all over the country have turned vacant land and blighted brownfields into vibrant parklands.

Cities vie for the titles of livability and sustainability. The County Grounds is finally being recognized as this kind of irreplaceable asset. It is a uniquely accessible landscape endowed with remarkable biodiversity as well as the marvelous annual migration of butterflies.

Tune in to Lake Effect on WUWM 89.7 on Wednesday, July 25 at 10:00 a.m. I gave Susan Bence a tour of the County Grounds recently and she interviewed me while we walked around. Update: if you missed the broadcast, you can download the podcast and listen to the interview by clicking here.

The timing of the Lake Effect interview is intended to promote more than the book. There is a public forum also on July 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wauwatosa Civic Center. The topic is whether or not the historic Eschweiler buildings on the County Grounds should be preserved or torn down. I hope you’ll join me there. For more information about the forum go to Wauwatosa Patch. 

The Milwaukee County Grounds: Island of Hope can be previewed in its entirety – or purchased – at blurb.com. A selection of the photos from the book may be viewed on my website.

County Grounds public hearing Monday May 2

Monarch Trail and Innovation Park site

I am forwarding the following announcement from the Friends of the Monarch Trail. I hope you will join me and give your input at this important meeting:

The City of Wauwatosa is hosting an open house for public input regarding trail connections on the County Grounds – Monday, May 2.

May 2^nd –   4:30 - 7:00 pm

Wil-O-Way   @  Underwood Parkway

10602 W Underwood Creek Parkway (across from Hanson golf course)

Please come share your ideas for the “master trail plan” that is to be implemented by the National Parks Service. Several parcels that are owned and must be maintained by different agencies will have trails, including the State Forestry Education Center, the new Milwaukee County Park, and the MMSD detention basins, as well as the UWM Innovation Park complex.

The Friends of the Monarch Trail have worked hard to preserve the Monarch Trail, the butterfly habitat, and the natural environment on the County Grounds. Now is the time to get the Monarch Trail on the official Map! We thank you for being persistent in your efforts to preserve this critical habitat~

  

**Brief presentations describing the project will be given at 5:00 and again at 6:00 pm 

Please take time to stop in wherever you can fit it in between 4:30 and 7Pm. This is the one chance to show our interest in the Monarch Trail and how it will connect with the rest of the trail system being created on the County Grounds.

  

Talking points to comment on:

·        End results should provide first and foremost for the needs of the habitat; this is the main attraction and the reason for the Monarch Trail.

·        Connecting the Monarch Trail to the other trails will make them all more successful because it is and attraction and highlight that stimulates curiosity and interest.

·        Mention possible negative impacts along with solutions.  The 11-acre monarch habitat is too small to accommodate paved paths or room for bicycles. The idea for this segment of trail is to provide a peaceful place for observation, photography, and not a tract for commuting through; a good comparison would be Wehr Nature Center. There are areas for tramp trails and more appropriate places for bike trails.

There will be thoroughfares for bicycles and vehicle access to the habitat via the residential roadways and parking lots.

·         Preservation of the natural scenery to provide views is also an attraction as well as the historical features such as the Eschweiler buildings. All planning of trails that is not in keeping with the scenery or which would obscure, distort, or detract from the integrity of the environment should be avoided. The trails are for humans, but the environment comes first.

·         The wildlife and ecosystem depend on our protection. The trails should be integrated in a way that enhances and protects the landscapes that support wildlife.

·        Promote the need to preserve the woods behind the Ronald McDonald House as part of the trail system. Milwaukee County should retain these valuable woods in order to reconnect the environmental corridor. 

Metaphor? I hope not.

UWM to move forward with County Grounds Purchase

The roofs of the Eschweiler buildings are in serious disrepair.

The saga of the County Grounds continues. Milwaukee County agreed over a year and a half ago to sell 89 acres to the UWM real estate foundation for its Innovation Park and research campus for $13.5 million. I won't repeat the details of the intervening months of setbacks and postponements. Read about it in the article by Tom Daykin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. But, according to the article, UWM is ready to move ahead with a down payment of $5 million.

The story in the paper mentions that the foundation expects to sell the historic Eschweiler buildings to a developer for residential use. This has been the plan since it was presented to the Wauwatosa Common Council for zoning approval last May and therefore isn't anything new. What the story doesn't say is that there is an alternative being promoted by the County Grounds Preservation Coalition, which is a diverse group of environmental and historic preservation organizations (see previous post.) This alternative, which would require either philanthropic donations or a more creative development proposal, is intended to facilitate the preservation of the historic buildings and minimize additional construction around them. The UWM real estate foundation is aware of this alternative and has expressed willingness to work with the Coalition to achieve its goals, which would be a win-win for UWM and the people of Milwaukee County - along with the Monarch butterflies and other wildlife that grace this unique piece of land.

The Eschweiler buildings are in terrible shape and nothing has been done to prevent continued deterioration. Some have accused the county, which still owns the land and buildings, of "demolition by neglect." Whatever is done, measures must be taken quickly to ensure their preservation.

To see more pictures of the buildings, go to my flickr page.

Moonset over Milwaukee County Grounds

If you caught my previous post you know that the weather didn't quite cooperate, as weather is wont to not do, and the full moon rise didn't materialize. So I went back to see the full moon set. Well, as you can see, it is visible, but the effect is not as dramatic as the moon rise owing to the brightness of the sky. Still, it was nice to be out on the "prairie" early in the morning. Millions of crickets (or whatever hoppy critters they were) hopped in front of me as I waded in the tall grass.

Moon set over the Eschweiler building

One of the Eschweilers at dawn
For more pictures of the still decaying historic Eschweiler buildings, click here.

Moon set over the Monarch Trail

For more pictures of the County Grounds, click here.

Are the Milwaukee County Grounds the right place for UWM?

Construction of the flood detention basins

on the County Grounds in 2006

There has been a lot of buzz going around lately about UWM’s plans for Innovation Park, the Engineering research campus that’s looking more and more like ordinary business—and residential—development.

I won’t repeat what others have already said so well:
Cheryl Nenn at Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Chris Liebenthal of Milwaukee County First

As regular readers of Urban Wilderness know, I have consistently argued for preservation of the natural character of the County Grounds. I have also consistently affirmed the appropriateness of UWM as the developer of choice if the grounds must be developed, a position many environmentalists embraced a year ago when the county decided to sell the land. In contrast, the general public, as indicated by attendance and participation in public hearings held by the Wauwatosa Common Council, has never given up on the idea of preserving all of the land.

You wouldn’t know that by asking the Common Council. As an active participant myself, I have been discouraged by the total lack of acknowledgement of this by the Common Council. We have even been dismissed by some council members as pushing too hard for more conservation—we who are the ones willing to compromise.

If you live in Wauwatosa, write or call your alderman and find out what he/she has to say.

There is still time for a healthy compromise to be achieved. As I first reported a week ago (read previous post), a coalition of environmental and historic preservation groups has been formed that is devoted to maintaining a presence on the grounds and to ensuring that wildlife habitat is protected and the Eschweiler buildings renovated—as promised by all parties. It is clear that there is strong sentiment for reconsidering UWM’s plans altogether. Whatever comes to pass, it is in the mutual interests of the city, county, and public that these lands remain a beautiful place to visit and experience its unique scenery and wildlife habitat.

For more pictures of the county grounds, go to my county grounds flickr page.
For pictures of the historic but decaying Eschweiler buildings, go to my Eschweiler flickr page.
For more pictures of the construction of the flood detention basins, go to my website.

Milwaukee County Grounds Coalition for Environmental and Historic Preservation

The Monarch Trail and the Eschweiler Campus

If you’ve been following the Urban Wilderness for long, you probably know that things have been happening that will affect the fate of the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa. In 2009, Milwaukee County voted to sell 89 acres to UWM for its proposed Innovation Park. That deal is still pending and has been delayed while UWM pursues funding. The City of Wauwatosa rezoned the 89 acre parcel for business development last May to accommodate UWM and is currently considering the creation of a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district to (literally) help pave the way for it. The $12 million of taxpayer money being asked for to create the TIF is a stretch and controversial, but likely to pass the Common Council anyway. (See The Political Environment’s comment on this.)

There is a public hearing on the matter on Monday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Wauwatosa City Hall, 7725 W. North Avenue. I would be there except I’ll be out of town. I hope you, dear reader, will go.

Meanwhile, under the indefatigable and effervescent leadership of Barbara Agnew, a Coalition of Environmental and Preservation groups has been forming to preserve the ecological and historical significance of the Milwaukee County Grounds. Barb has long had a presence on the grounds as the founder of The Monarch Trail. (Click here for a calendar of butterfly events coming soon!)

The mission of the new Coalition is to preserve and maintain the ecological integrity of a uniquely significant wildlife habitat and to renovate and maintain the character of the historic Eschweiler buildings located there. This effort has the backing of significant local environmental organizations, such as the Urban Ecology Center and Milwaukee Riverkeeper, and some high profile regional ones, including the Aldo Leopold Foundation. The effort recently got a major boost when Barb and I met with several leaders of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation. They are as excited as we are about the prospects for a mutually beneficial collaboration amongst conservation and historic preservation groups that this situation provides.

Despite recent concessions, the County Grounds continue to be open and inviting. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources plans to create a forestry education center on the north side of Swan Blvd. and Milwaukee County has just established its newest county park on 55 acres north of Swan. UWM’s plan for Innovation Park includes a conservation plan for the Monarch butterfly habitat. It is the presence of the historic known by the name of their architect, Alexander C. Eschweiler, that makes this site uniquely suited for a collaboration of the type that is now coming together.

It is exhilarating to see the breadth of interest that is coalescing around this remarkable landscape. Wauwatosa is lucky to have such a place. Milwaukee County is lucky to have such a place. Wisconsin is lucky to have such a place. Together we can maintain its unique character so that our grandchildren can be as lucky as we are.

For more about the County Grounds, go to my website or to my flickr page. (They’re different, so you can go to both!)

When I went out last weekend to visit I discovered this new graffiti on the bricked up front door of the main building in the Eschweiler campus, which has been deteriorating for years. Some call it "demolition by neglect." Perhaps the artist sees new life for the historic structure.

To get a better idea of the condition these buildings are in, see more images on my flickr page.

After rhetorical firestorm Wauwatosa adopts UWM plan despite questions

What was Alderman Donegan thinking? The rest of the Wauwatosa Common Council went very quiet; the audience went still as if holding their breaths. The one unmentionable topic was broached, and despite protestations to “drain emotion from the debate” this one brought out emotions aplenty: is preservation of the Eschweiler buildings worth the loss of potential parkland?

The reaction was predictable. In fact, Mr. Donovan even predicted it himself, saying that he’d be “getting a lot of letters” by taking this position. What he got, in very short order, was a firestorm of criticism from the council. Never mind that the preservation of those buildings, which are on the national registry of historic places, has always been a prerequisite for any development on the county grounds, end of argument. No, there had to be an exhaustive review of Wauwatosa’s stewardship of historic properties and reassertion of preservation as one of the city’s premier values.

In fact, this stunning turn in what should have been a conversation about the merits and scope of UWM’s plan followed an award ceremony. We had just witnessed the charm and effervescent delight on the faces of elementary school children for artwork they had done on the theme of historic Wauwatosa. The contest was sponsored by the Historical Society. If questioning the value of the Eschweiler buildings was some sort of strategy, it not only failed utterly but, in my opinion, it derailed an important debate.

Nearly an hour of rhetoric obscured the fact that Alderman Donovan had not suggested that the historic buildings be demolished. His much more measured and reasonable motion was simply to return the question of approval back to the committee on community development for further study. Unfortunately, his tactless comments about preservation made it possible for vocal aldermen who had already made up their minds to dismiss his other very pertinent questions. The foremost of these were: Will Wauwatosa give a green light to 200,000 sq. ft. of residential development before it knows how much the renovation of the Eschweiler buildings will cost? What if, after construction of the apartment units (intended to enable the developer to renovate the dilapidated structures) it is then determined that the cost is still too high?

More important to the many patient audience members, Alderman Donegan’s motion to remand the resolution back to the committee superseded one by Alderman Hanson to amend the resolution. Hanson’s motion would have limited the total square footage of development to the originally agreed 850,000, down from UWM’s request of almost 1.2 million sq. ft. Late in the evening, by the time the council returned to Mr. Hanson’s motion, which had the support of most of the environmental groups represented in the audience, no one was in the mood for further debate. This significant difference in development footprints was dismissed as “negligible.” (Never mind that, if all of the still speculative developments are completed and further need is demonstrated, UWM could come back to Wauwatosa with a new request to return to its 1.2 million.) The “no” vote on that amendment was quickly followed by approval of UWM’s preliminary plan for Innovation Park with two dissenting votes.

To view my recent photo shoot on the county grounds go to my flickr site.

For more information and analysis:
The Daily Reporter
The Political Environment
Milwaukee County First

A walk on the Milwaukee County Grounds

On Wednesday, after the Wauwatosa Common Council's committee on community development rezoned this land, I went out for a walk and took a few pictures. Here is a sample. More can be found on my flickr site.

The Sycamore tree, highlight of the Monarch Trail and roosting site during the fall migration.

The Eschweiler complex. Five buildings designed by the famed Milwaukee architect still stand on the grounds. Restoration of the historic buildings is planned as part of the Innovation Park proposal.

UWM Plan for County Grounds Passes after late night deliberations

Picture taken 4-28-10: Spring Fireworks on the County Grounds.

Tension mounted among committee members as the evening grew late. Serious questions were raised about the specifics of UWM’s plans for its Innovation Park developments on the Milwaukee County Grounds. Most came from newly elected aldermen Organ and Jay. How did UWM come up with the figure of 200,000 sq. ft. of residential development and was market research done to justify such a large amount? How would contractors be prevented from “inadvertently” damaging the root systems of trees universally acknowledged to be crucial to the health of Monarch butterfly habitats protected by the plan?

While the meeting remained calm, impatience and frustration simmered. Freshman aldermen, sworn into office just last week, make up a neat half of the 8-member Committee on Community Development. All four seemed troubled by the need to make what felt like momentous decisions without adequate preparation.

Nancy Welch, Director of Community Development, unwittingly provided a prelude to these late evening exchanges during her opening orientation of the new committee members. She explained that, for the sake of brevity, the information packet that each member receives to prepare for the meetings often contains condensed versions of complex proposals such as those for the County Grounds. Understandable. She wisely observed that fully understanding the complexity of the issues would require reading 30 to 50 pages. I agree and I believe the new members were put in a difficult position, having to make spur of the moment decisions in the absence of this important background.

It wasn’t their fault. It was an unfortunate coincidence that these deliberations, which are so important to so many in this city, spanned a period during which a large transition of aldermen occurred. The solution should have been to table the decision so that new members could read the 50 pages. The hesitation on the faces of the committee members was obvious to the many constituents who came to watch the proceedings, but who were prevented from speaking.

City Attorney Alan Kesner guided the committee to a compromise amendment that enabled them to pass UWM’s plan with stipulations. The main sticking point was the proposed 200,000 sq. ft. of residential development that would surround the historic Eschweiler Buildings. For some committee members this seemed like too much to concede without concrete justification. Understandable. The representatives of UWM and its consultant HGA Architects were very patient with the proceedings and cooperative whenever questions arose. The height restrictions, they said, had been self-imposed for “purely aesthetic” reasons out of concern for the Eschweiler complex and they were willing to consider other options. More troubling for the committee was the informal nature of the deliberations that resulted in the 200,000 sq. ft. figure. The compromise amendment establishes that figure as a maximum with the stipulation that actual, specific design proposals must attempt to reduce the square footage (not just the footprint) and provide market research to justify the economic need for the final figure. I personally think they should be more concerned about the overall footprint, which has grown with each “compromise.” Let’s hold development at 850,000 sq. ft. or less.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the amendment also included a well-meaning, but ill-advised lifting of height restrictions, which had been limited to below the Eschweiler buildings. Being able to build higher provides a developer with the flexibility to maintain square footage while reducing the size of the footprint. But any gains made by doing this to maintain scenic views of the historic buildings would be more than offset by two significant losses. Taller buildings create more violent wind patterns that would disrupt the butterflies’ ability to roost at the adjacent protected sites. Also the Eschweiler Buildings are far from the only scenic concerns. Well designed architecture can solve that problem in any case. What are far more valuable as scenery are the views of downtown Milwaukee visible from the hilltops and the wide expanse of the land itself, with its rolling prairie character. Tall buildings would destroy that character.

UWM has consistently expressed a willingness to comply with the wishes of the public on most issues and wisely chose self-imposed height restrictions that respect the low profile needed to maintain these assets. At last week’s public hearing the Common Council’s constituents turned out in force to express their desire to see this land preserved as open green space, while no constituents spoke in favor of development. The committee room was likewise packed, even though the public could not speak. The committee members’ instincts were good. Caution is required. Let’s proceed with due caution and consultation.

View of County Parks building from proposed Innovation Park