A Goldilocks Day in the County Grounds

After a couple of weeks that were first unseasonably hot and then cold, the past two days were Goldilocks days: just right. Perfect for a walk in the County Grounds. Here is a little photo essay from my ramble, mostly in the marsh on the bottom of the flood detention basin.

I thought I might find a red wing blackbird nest. I'd seen several the last time I ventured into the marsh, about a month ago, perched amongst the dead brown cattails stalks. None had eggs yet. Maybe there would be babies now. But the marsh was completely transformed in the intervening time by new growth.

I had to watch every step at every level of view so as not to inadvertently crush the very thing I sought.

Looking down I found deer prints and duckweed in the mud.

Looking straight ahead I found numerous furballs atop brittle stalks in amongst the new growth.

And light catching splashes of saplings amongst the cattails.

It took me a long time to find a single nest, overhead in the crook of a tree. I had to hold my camera high at arm's length and aim towards it carefully. The view screen revealed its emptiness, along with the marvel of its construction.

Young poplar leaves glow redly in the afternoon light. In places the poplars are so thick, their shiny leaves fluttering so rapidly, it was mesmerizing. The woody growth is not part of the vegetation plan for the basins, which are supposed to be free of trees. There is some talk of burning the marsh to rid it of the invasive or unwanted species. That's a sight I hope to see!

The new cattails were ripe with pollen and every time I brushed against one a fine dust cascaded all around. Before long I was coated in green dust. I had to protect my camera constantly from it.

I usually startle a deer or two when I'm out there and I wasn't disappointed. This young guy sure didn't expect to see me sauntering through his private enclave, so near Swan Boulevard, yet so remote from view - normally, that is. It quickly dashed back into the thick stand of poplars beyond.

The oaks on the ridge, framed by cattails below and a band of dramatic clouds above.

Daisies trying to hold their own against a prodigious stand of yellow mustard in bloom along the sides of the basin.

Sadly these lovely flowers, suggestively named "butter and eggs," are invasive species. The exotics are harder to dislike when they are so beautiful. 

I hope you've enjoyed these Goldilocks days as much as I have. The prediction is for hotter weather soon - and I've heard many people express their expectation of a particularly hot summer, after our remarkable, un-Wisconsin-like spring. Let's enjoy it while we can! And let's keep the County Grounds as enjoyable as we can, too.

Exploring an Urban Forest

A new forestry center could add to the critical mass that has the potential to make the Milwaukee County Grounds one of Southeastern Wisconsin’s premier parklands.

High overhead branches toss wildly about, auguring another storm. The forest is still damp from yesterday’s deluge and dark from thickly overcast skies. But despite the moaning and twisting in the canopy, down here at ground level it is calm. The foliage rustles softly all around. The forest feels protective. 

I make my way through a particularly dense patch of undergrowth, most of which is invasive buckthorn. I understand the need for management.

Farther along the trail the forest opens up, clear of most undergrowth. Last year’s leaves carpet the earth. A few bright yellow and red maple leaves, which turn early, accent the brown and contrast with the still intensely green woodland. 

I reach the now dry depression that in spring was one of the few remaining vernal ponds, a vital habitat for many species. I understand the need for preservation.

Trails interlace the forest, winding among the giant hardwoods and brushy thickets. People come here to calm their minds, uplift their spirits, experience the mystery of nature. I step off the trail into wilder woodland and come upon a clearing where someone – some group by the size of it – has built a makeshift shelter. My mental tally of youthful shelters, tree houses, and forts now numbers four. I am reminded of my own childhood. How many more hideouts are hidden in the recesses of our local forest?

I understand the need for nearby nature that stimulates the imagination of people young and old.

Theodore Roosevelt, president and tireless advocate for nature, said, “A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless.” A new forestry education center, planned for this woodland on the Milwaukee County Grounds, would bring together children and trees. What a great concept!

The Forest Exploration Center’s plans for facilities and programming are ambitious. Eventually, a 60,000 sq. ft. indoor structure will be the heart of an educational complex that may include outdoor classrooms, a canopy walk/tower, and a working sawmill. 

The “science-based” programming will emphasize cultural and economic aspects of forest management, according to board member Tom Gaertner, who owns a tree farm in Door County.

I welcome sustainable forest management. Clearing the buckthorn and other invasive species, thinning the box elders and other weedy trees would not only improve the aesthetic experience of the woodland, but also would increase biodiversity. At the same time, the perennial explorer in me hopes that enough of its wildness remains that the alluring mystery isn’t lost.

As a long-time educator – and advocate for urban wilderness – the idea of bringing school groups as well as the general public into contact with our remarkable forest is very appealing. I never tire of applauding the Urban Ecology Center, which has created a nationally recognized model for environmental education and stewardship. The new center’s board rightly identifies the need for educational opportunities that connect children with nature. They would be well advised to develop a cooperative relationship with the Urban Ecology Center.

Cooperation also should be the watchword amongst the several entities with similar interests that fortuitously share the County Grounds. With effective and visionary planning and collaboration the new Forest Exploration Center, along with the new County Park, the Monarch Trail at Innovation Park, and MMSD’s flood detention basins together can fulfill the enormous potential to make the Milwaukee County Grounds unparalleled urban parkland.

After all, it’s important not to lose sight of the forest for the trees!

A hundred years after Teddy Roosevelt, another president, George Bush, said this:

“Trees can reduce the heat of a summer's day, quiet a highway's noise, feed the hungry, provide shelter from the wind and warmth in the winter. …Forests are the sanctuaries not only of wildlife, but also of the human spirit. And every tree is a compact between generations.”
Click here for an aerial view of the forest and surroundings. 


Click here for an aerial view of the forest and surroundings.
 

Urban forestry vs. Urban Wilderness?

A pair of articles in Helium, an online compendium for publishers and writers, touts the benefits of urban forestry. Urban forestry is defined basically as planting, preserving, and maintaining trees in urban areas. The two authors' main point is that the presence of trees in urban environments improve the quality of life and city dwellers' mental health. Who would argue with that? Not I.

Claims also are made that well maintained trees in urban neighborhoods help to alleviate crime. Trees make neighborhoods more attractive, leading people to spend more time outdoors, which ought to deter criminal activity, according to this theory. That may be true; I wouldn't know.

Managed plantings provided by Rivercrest Condominiums
next to the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee, WI

However, I do have a concern about a reference to urban wilderness made in one of the articles. Sylvia Farley, who is from the United Kingdom, says "Urban wilderness is the incursion of unmanaged green areas into the city. Urban Forestry is carefully planned and integrated management of all publicly accessible trees within a given urban area." As anyone who has been following my blog and other writings will appreciate, I consider the phrase "urban wilderness" to be charged with many different, sometimes contradictory meanings. In itself, "urban wilderness" represents a paradox if not an oxymoron. That the term has gained currency throughout the US, if not the UK, in recent years is testimony to its conceptual power. (A google search of "urban wilderness" will turn up too many results to pursue.)

Urban wilderness is a largely symbolic idea that embodies the principle of harmony with nature for people who live in cities. However, I believe that there's a real, essentially physical component to urban wilderness that is as much about providing habitat for wildlife as it is about the recreational or psychological needs of people. An urban wilderness is a wildlife habitat in a city - or suburb. In other words, it's about more than trees: it's about urban ecology.

An urban wilderness in the Menomonee River Parkway in Wauwatosa, WI.
Due to budgetary restraints in Milwaukee County, it is largely unmanaged.

I'm not knocking urban forestry, as promoted in the Helium articles. I'm all for it. But let's not knock urban wilderness either. I chose the two images that accompany this post deliberately for their contrast. One shows managed plantings at a condo complex, no doubt intended as aesthetic improvements for the residents' quality of life. (Probably not what the authors had in mind as urban forestry, but where is the line drawn?) The other is from the Milwaukee County Park system, which includes 10,000 acres of natural areas. It is one of the places I like to go for my own peace of mind.

Link to the two articles:

The Importance and Benefits of Urban Forestry.