MILWAUKEE — Urban Ecology Center Assistant Land Steward Abbey Rosenau led a group of volunteers to place tree cages on native trees.

“We are trying to prevent beavers so here at Three Bridges Park,” said Rosenau. “We are close to the Menomonee River, and we have been having beavers come and cut down some of our trees that we want to keep in the area.”

The work is part of the center’s effort called ROOT, Restoring Our Outdoor Treasures. It encourages people to volunteer to help preserve the environment in their local community. 

Rosenau said on this day, they were focusing on protecting native trees like maples and oaks.

“They are a great habitat for lots of animals and insects,” said Rosenau. “There are certain insects that we call specialists that require certain species in order to go through their life cycle and oaks support many different specialists, so they are really vital to the health of the entire ecosystem.”

Justin Thul is one of the volunteers and a student at Marquette University. While he and his classmates are volunteering for an assignment, it’s not the only reason he is helping out.

“Our campus is right downtown and there is not too much nature, like peace and quiet like this, so it’s a nice little break from school every week or so,” said Thul. “Just to come out here and work in nature and do whatever, if it’s picking up trash, watering stuff, I pretty much enjoy it every time.”

Rosenau said she is grateful for people like Thul who volunteer their time to restore the city’s outdoor treasures.

“It allows us to get so much more done on the land,” said Rosenau. “We have thousands of hours of volunteer work every year and it is what truly allows us to be present in the parks and fulfill our mission.”

For Rosenau, that mission is to connect people in cities to nature and to each other.

The Urban Ecology Center hosts volunteer opportunities at Menomonee Valley, Riverside Park and Washington Park with the ROOT program. To see all the opportunities, click here.