Hiking Hartland Marsh and the Ice Age Trail

The Bark River

Spring was still trying to catch up from our unseasonably cold April last week. But this day dawned brightly and suddenly turned unseasonably hot. Shedding jackets, a dozen or so of us gathered at the Cottonwood Wayside for a hike into Hartland Marsh led by Jeff Romagna, a volunteer with the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

Hartland Marsh Preserve is nestled between the Lake Country Industrial Park and the Gleason Commerce Center in Hartland. Its 180 acres is protected by the Waukesha County Land Conservancy in partnership with the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the Village of Hartland. The Bark River meanders through the middle of it, somewhere out where we couldn’t see it from the Wayside.

Our tour began on a mulched path, known as the John Muir Overlook, through a hardwood forest featuring ancient bur oaks. The trail narrowed, then led to a boardwalk across the marsh and over a small wooded island. 

Birds were plentiful, it being migration season. This is a rose-breasted grosbeak.

Another boardwalk looped through last year’s cattails and back to the forest. Here the trail was hemmed in with thickets of buckthorn. 

Most of the preserve has a far more open understory and the difference was striking. Jeff, our guide, introduced us to Paul Mozina, known as The Buckthorn Man, whose volunteer efforts have been largely responsible for removing this particularly obnoxious invasive species. Along with being more aesthetically pleasing to hike through, the cleared portions enable a more robust diversity of native species to flourish.

Across an open field we watched as a pair of sandhill cranes shepherded two chicks away from us towards a pond.

A side trail led us through a beautiful glade, over a hill and across the Bark River on a footbridge to another small island. Paul pointed out the many natural springs around the two hills that had led to its being a homestead, now vanished.

Four more sandhill cranes watched us warily from the marsh, their colors a nearly perfect match with the dead cattails. Can you spot all four?

According to the Ice Age Trail Alliance, wetland preserves like this are becoming more and more important as land is developed and urbanized. Wetlands serve critical ecological functions that help maintain environmental health as well as sustaining wildlife habitats.

Hickory sapling in bloom

By absorbing rainwater and nutrients, a marsh helps reduce flooding, prevents shoreline erosion along waterways, recharges groundwater, and enhances water quality.

Preserves like this one also provide opportunities for recreation, research and education, serving as both a laboratory and outdoor classroom for students and teachers.

The John Muir Overlook is a 1¼-mile loop linked (across Cottonwood Avenue) to the Hartland segment of the National Ice Age Scenic Trail. We hiked east along a portion of the trail until we reached the Aldo Leopold Overlook. The 45-foot tall glacial hill—which could be an esker or a moraine, according to Jeff—gave us views of the surrounding marsh. As we turned to go, a pair of brilliant white egrets sailed in to land on an open pond.

Tree huggers! It took three to reach around this enormous oak.

Jane's Walking in the Milwaukee River Greenway

Vince Bushell and I would like to thank the ten hardy souls who showed up despite the rain and gloom to take a Jane's Walk as part of the month-long celebration of the life and legacy of Jane Jacobs. Vince is Project Manager for the River Revitalization Foundation and our walk began at their headquarters on the bend in the river between Humboldt and North. 

The blustery conditions did not keep the small group from paying rapt attention as several of us provided information about the history of the Milwaukee River and development of the Greenway, the wildlife, the Arboretum, Urban Ecology Center and other sights along the way. Vince and I were helped along by Virginia Small, who is one of the Jane's Walk organizers, and Dennis Grzezinski, a board member of the Urban Ecology Center.

Our walk took us up the East Bank Trail to Riverside Park, where we discovered this spectacular display of wild bluebells. Then we crossed the Locust Street Bridge to Gordon Park and returned via the Beer Line Trail. By the time we finished the sun had finally peeked out, though it was a good thing everyone came prepared for the rain.

We had 32 registrations and it's clear from the flurry of emails and text messages I got this morning that the conditions kept most away. Understandable. Virginia, Vince and I discussed the possibility of scheduling another walk for those who couldn't make it. Stay tuned for that.

Jane’s Walk — The Milwaukee River Greenway: our premier urban wilderness

Picture yourself in a canoe, floating silently on a wide river in a valley flanked by tall wooded bluffs. You pass the occasional fisherman. Through the trees a lone jogger runs by on a riverside trail. A great blue heron starts up at your passing, rises on thermals, circles and soars away upstream. An idyllic vision.

View south from Locust Street

Now imagine being just minutes away from the towers of downtown. Welcome to the Milwaukee River Greenway, which, at over 840 acres, is larger than Central Park in New York. How many cities can you name where you might have an experience like this? One that approximates wilderness in the heart of a densely populated urban area.

I have been writing about Milwaukee’s “urban wilderness” for many years and I have numerous favorite places to go when I want to rejuvenate a spirit that longs for nature. But the Milwaukee River Greenway is among the jewels in the crown of an exemplary park system. It is our premier urban wilderness.

Rotary Centennial Arboretum

When I was invited to lead a walk for Jane’s Walk Milwaukee I immediately thought of sharing my love of this place. And so, I invite you to come experience the heart of the Milwaukee River Greenway, one of the greatest urban natural areas in the country.

If, like me, you are new to Jane’s Walk, I encourage you to check out the website and read up on Jane Jacobs, the author of The Death & Life of Great American Cities and the inspiration for this month-long citywide series of events.

I have recently embarked on a new project with Preserve Our Parks that will promote parks and encourage people to get out and explore them. We are calling it A Wealth of Nature to emphasize how fortunate we are to have an abundance of places to enjoy. I will introduce the group to the project and explain how you might use its features, which will include a new website that will help you find places to experience nature nearby.

For this tour I will be teaming up with Vince Bushell, who is Project Manager for the River Revitalization Foundation (RRF), Milwaukee's urban land trust. Vince knows a lot more than I do about the plants and animals we might see on our walk as well as the historic efforts by RRF and others to protect the Greenway.

Riverside Park

The details:

View north from North Avenue

Sunday, May 20 at 10 – 12 am.

The 2-mile tour will begin at the River Revitalization Foundation, 2134 N. Riverboat Rd., the former site of the North Ave. dam, and will end at the same location. There is street parking available.

From the Caesar's Park pedestrian bridge we will hike along the East Bank Trail north to Locust Street. This section of the tour is hard gravel and wheelchair accessible. After crossing the Locust Street Bridge we will walk back along the West Bank Trail, which is not accessible and may be muddy, depending on conditions. Points of interest include the Rotary Centennial Arboretum, Urban Ecology Center, Riverside Park and Gordon Park, with ruins from the period when it was a resort on the lake behind North Avenue dam. The views from Locust Street Bridge are a special highlight.

For more information and to register for the walk, go to our Facebook page. The tickets are free but there is a limit of 30 participants.

The ruins at Gordon Park

The walk is co-sponsored by Preserve Our Parks and River Revitalization Foundation.

View north from Locust Street

 To see more photos from the Milwaukee River Greenway go to my Flickr album.

Urban Candlelight Hike in Three Bridges Park Feb. 3

I hope you'll join me this Saturday for the second annual Urban Candlelight Hike in the Menomonee Valley. Last year, despite frigid temperatures, we had an overwhelming response when thousands turned out for the inaugural event. Click here to read all about that. This year should be even better!

Here, and below, is the pertinent information:

Where: Three Bridges Park, the Hank Aaron State Trail and the Urban Ecology Center in the Menomonee Valley

When: Saturday, February 3, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm

The Hank Aaron State Trail in 3 Bridges Park, Urban Candlelight Hike 2017

Bundle up and experience an exciting winter adventure!

For the second year in a row, hardy northerners will cure their cabin fever at this winter Urban Candlelight Hike in Three Bridges Park.

Hosted by:

Free for everyone: 

• Two miles of candlelit trails on the Hank Aaron State Trail - this event will take place with or without snow!
• Roaring campfires - we’ve added a new campfire along the trail this year!
• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm:
  • REI gourmet s'mores (while supplies last)
  • This is your chance to get on a fat tire or e-bike! Wheel & Sprocket will have FREE fat tire bike and e-bike demos on site to try and test. All ages and abilities are welcome to stop by and check one out. See why fat tire cyclists have more fun all year round!  
• 7-10pm: NEWaukee After Party at Third Space Brewing

Get extras with a “Fun Pass!":

• Hot chocolate and pastries at the Urban Ecology Center (while supplies last)! Bring your thermos to save on waste and to take your cocoa on your hike.
• Marshmallow roasting at the FOHAST Fireside Plaza
• Entry for great door prizes! Including $100 gift card from Wheel & Sprocket, $25 gift card to Twisted Fisherman, Rishi Tea prize pack, and REI prize pack (REI Flash 22 pack with a REI Nalgene bottle, REI Camp Mug, and REI Day Hiker First-Aid Kit)
• One free beer at the Third Space Brewing After Party (for those over 21)*

Fun Pass is $10 in advance and includes one adult and all kids under 12 attending with the adult
*= only available for fun passes purchased on or before February 2.

This and additional information can be found at the Urban Candlelight Hike website.

Marshmallow roasting, Urban Candlelight Hike 2017

Posing in Three Bridges Park, Urban Candlelight Hike 2017

 Additional images from Urban Candlelight Hike 2017 can be found in my previous blog post. 

Full disclosure: I am a board member of the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail, which is among the partner organizations responsible for this event.

Thousands flock to candle-lit Three Bridges Park

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The candles ran the length of Three Bridges Park, from the Domes to the Urban Ecology Center and for several hours a constant stream of people braved frigid temperatures to enjoy the outdoors. I’m not sure which was the more remarkable: the sheer numbers—it was clearly in the thousands—or the fact that so many who came had never been to Three Bridges Park before. There were people who traveled to Milwaukee from all over Wisconsin to participate in this family-friendly event.

Billed as the first-ever Urban Candlelight Hike in Three Bridges Park, the route and the crowds actually spilled over the Menomonee River into Stormwater Park and past Palermo’s Pizza—which was open and doing plenty of business.

In addition to pizza, participants could get free hot chocolate and churros at the Menomonee Valley branch of the Urban Ecology Center and toast marshmallows and make s’mores thanks to volunteers with the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail. One of the organizers reported that over 1,000 people were served s’mores before they ran out of their 1,300 marshmallows, 16 boxes of graham crackers and 16 boxes of chocolate bars.

After unseasonable temperatures that reached into the 70s earlier in the week, the multitudes clearly were undeterred by the resurgence of winter. Icy blasts drove wind chills well below freezing. However, the vast majority of the people I saw were suitably bundled and enjoying the outing. The diverse crowd of all ages included many children, some young enough to be pushed in baby strollers.

An ice sculptor named Christopher Andrews was on hand in Stormwater Park at the site of the former chimneys that once marked the Milwaukee Road rail yards. To commemorate the history of the site he spent the afternoon sculpting a train engine from a 200-lb. block of ice. Many who passed by on their way to the bonfires admired the resulting sculpture. One onlooker was overheard saying, “As a kid my dad would drive us by here and point to the field to say that this is where he used to work. The train in the ice looks like it could drive right off the stand to continue work.”

Official event sponsors were Menomonee Valley Partners,Inc., the Urban Ecology Center and Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail. NEWaukee also sponsored an after party at Third Space Brewing, one of the Menomonee Valley’s newest businesses. I didn’t catch the after party, but if it was anything like the main event, the place had to be hopping!

I don’t believe I’ve seen so many people in Three Bridges Park all at once even in the summer.

Full disclosure: I am on the board of directors of Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail, former artist in residence for Menomonee Valley Partners, and a great fan of the Urban Ecology Center.

Riverkeeper leads Brew City Safari tour of Milwaukee River Greenway

The sun shone brightly on Saturday afternoon as I joined a throng gathering at Caesar's Pool Park for a hike on the Milwaukee River. Sponsored by Brew City Safari, the tour was led by guest guide, Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee's Riverkeeper. I played leap-frog with the group to the halfway point at the Locust Street bridge. At that point I lost the group due to my penchant for wandering off to shoot photos. But I forged on. It was a perfect day for a hike in one of my favorite places. Here's my photo essay:

Riverkeeper Nenn leads group across the river at Caesar's Pool, site of the former North Avenue dam.

Seedling in protective tube planted by River Revitalization Foundation volunteers to restore native species along the West Bank Trail.

We saw several spots where bank stabilization work was underway to mitigate damage done by a storm in 2010.

The group circled the "graffiti wall" that adorns the ruins of a former bathing resort, when this part of the Milwaukee River Greenway was a lake impounded by the North Avenue dam.

This mattress, embedded in the tall riparian grasses, is evidence that people other than graffiti taggers frequent the spot.

On the east side of the river I enter the Rotary Arboretum and Riverside Park.

A series of cairn-like sculptures by Nic Thompkins now graces the park.

Planting native vegetation is also being done along the East Bank Trail. Here it is organized by the Urban Ecology Center, which is located in Riverside Park.

Evidence of beavers -- well, at least one beaver anyway!

One of a series of murals on the piers of the North Avenue Bridge.

And back again to Caesar's Pool Park. The next Brew City Safari hike is this coming Saturday, Oct. 15 at Havenwoods State Park. Check it out on their website.