Our Washington Park location was opened in 2007 to serve more neighborhood schools with our acclaimed Neighborhood Environmental Education Project. Located at the former site of the Milwaukee Zoo, we opened a site here to help with neighborhood revitalization efforts.

And it worked. Here’s what happened just last year:

• 8,900 environmental education experiences 
• 83,000 visitors to our building and green spaces 
• 600 volunteers gave the gift of time

Unfortunately, the outdated and inefficient building was limiting our ability to increase our programming and did not provide the welcoming environment we wished to offer. Imagine if we could do more. Imagine what could happen if we doubled our programming, increased access to early childhood education programming, and reached more kids and adults from across the city.

In 2021, we began raising funds to reimagine our Washington Park location - bringing the wonder of nature to the heart of this vibrant neighborhood.

Through intentional conversations, we listened to our neighbors, to students, to community leaders, to supporters, to the County and to the City.

Our new education and community center project will:

• Double the capacity of our Neighborhood Environmental Education Project program within the first 3 years growing our reach from 13 to 31 schools;
• Increase the opportunities for preschool environmental education programs;
• Allow us to complete beautification efforts on the 20 acres surrounding the building;
• Continue partnering with Milwaukee County Parks to upgrade infrastructure

With the new building at Washington Park complete, we still need your help to bring these spaces to life for the community. Your support will provide essentials like:

• UEC buses to bring students to field experiences
• Classroom equipment and creative elements like art installations and educational exhibits

Click the donate button below to bring these projects to life for the community!

The Imagine Campaign is a multi-phase effort to allow us to introduce more people to the transformational properties of nature, ensure Urban Ecology Center's longevity to reach generations of people, and respond to interest in our model so we can spread our knowledge and deepen our impact.

Other initiatives include:

• Riverland Project 
• Endowment Growth & Organizational Excellence