Milwaukee County Parks Natural Areas & Conservation

05/04/2026

Come talk trees with us!🌳🌳🌳
This Saturday from 10am-11am at Estabrook Park.
Friends of Estabrook Park

04/28/2026

We've been seeing some great birds using our lagoons as spring kicks into gear! We're always thrilled to see such species diversity.

Photo 1: double-crested cormorant
Photo 2: common loon
Photo 3: pied-billed grebe
Photo 4: red-breasted merganser

04/27/2026

1 like. "Cheers to Our Parks - Tree Planting"

04/18/2026

April showers (or in our case, thunderstorms) bring May flowers. 🌸 But they also bring on the invasive plants! 😝

These Friends groups will be holding Weed-Outs and would love to have your help in getting rid of invasives like Garlic mustard, Arctic scilla and Dames rocket!

Doctors Park Friends
Saturday, April 18, 9 am - noon

Friends of County Grounds Park - Milwaukee, WI
Sunday, April 19, 1 - 4 pm

Friends of Greene Park
Wednesday, April 22, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘄𝗮𝘆
Every Tuesday, 4 - 6 pm

A group will also be holding a Weed-Out for a section of the Root River Parkway, located south of Grange Ave. in Greendale, on Wednesday, April 22, from 4 - 6 pm.

Please wear a pair of work boots or shoes and bring a pair of work gloves. All other supplies will be provided.

Some Friends groups may require FREE registration to help coordinate group efforts. Click or tap the link in the first comment for group requirements, meet up locations and future Weed-Out dates.

Milwaukee County Parks Natural Areas & Conservation

04/14/2026

Interested in seeing what our Parks Natural Areas team got up to in 2025? You can check out the annual report on the Parks Website at the link below.

https://county.milwaukee.gov/County-Files/Parks-Department/Photo-Gallery/What-We-Do/Conservation/2025-Annual-Report-Natural-Areas.pdf

04/13/2026

How can you help native bees?

1. Plant native species that bloom all season long! (See pdf links below for species inspiration to get started.)
2. Convert a small portion of your lawn to a native pollinator garden.
3. Replace invasive species on your property with natives.
4. Limit or eliminate pesticides. Especially insecticides!
5. Consider becoming a bumble bee monitoring volunteer.

Want to monitor bumble bees in Milwaukee County Parks? Join us for our 2026 bumble bee monitoring orientation on Sunday June 28th from 9:30am to noon at Wehr Nature Center. Please RSVP to [email protected] if you plan to attend.

Native Plant Recommendations:
https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/22-021_01_NPPBI%E2%80%94GreatLakes_web.pdf

https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/MidwestPlantGuideRPBB.pdf

04/13/2026

It's that time of year when we remind everyone that harvesting wild leek or "ramps" in our Parks is prohibited.

This species has disappeared from some of our parks in habitat where it should be growing as a result of harvesting. What may seem like an abundance of plants to some is in fact only a limited fraction of what used to be on the landscape.

DYK: It takes wild leek 5 to 7 years at a minimum to grow from seed to mature plant.

Collecting wild leeks in Milwaukee County Parks is illegal. Help keep this species in our parks. Please share widely.

04/10/2026

Maggie's not upset seeing all these little holes in garlic mustard leaves! She'll take the help from a tiny herbivore if it's going to reduce the fitness of this invasive plant.

04/08/2026

Weed-Out season is here!

Weed-Out season has begun! Friends groups are looking for help getting rid of invasive plants in our Milwaukee County Parks. Join them in their efforts to preserve and protect natural areas! All supplies will be provided. Wear sturdy work shoes or boots and work gloves.

Weed-Outs will be held in these parks:

𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗻
Saturday, April 11
9 am - noon
Meet at the Emil Blatz parking lot
1801 W. Hampton Ave., Milwaukee

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀
Sunday, April 12
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Meet at the Sanctuary Woods parking lot
West of 87th St. and Watertown Plank Road, Wauwatosa

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲
Wednesday, April 15
5:30 - 7 pm
Meet at the picnic area
4235 S. Lipton Ave., St. Francis

𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘄𝗮𝘆
Every Tuesday
4 - 6 pm
Email [email protected] for meet up location

More Weed-Outs are coming! Keep checking back for future events!

Milwaukee County Parks Natural Areas & Conservation Friends of Lincoln Park Friends of County Grounds Park - Milwaukee, WI Friends of Greene Park

04/06/2026

Join us at the Humboldt Park Pavilion on Wednesday, 4/22, starting at 6:00 PM, to catch the last 'Coexisting With Coyotes' presentation for 2026.

Learn 'howl' about this urban-adapted, beneficial native predator, and how we can best reduce the risk of conflicts in our shared outdoor spaces. This discussion is free and great for families--no RSVP required.