Milwaukee County’s goal is to enrich your life by providing essential services that meet your needs and those of your family, neighbors, co-workers and friends.
We enhance the quality of life in Milwaukee County through great public service.
Milwaukee County is home to over 950,000 people living in one of 19 communities, which range in size from the City of Milwaukee, with 595,000 residents, to the Village of River Hills, with roughly 1,600 residents.
Still a manufacturing stronghold, the region features 16 Fortune 1000 companies and thousands of others in the financial services, medical device, hospitality and retailing industries.
Find information about things to do and happenings in Milwaukee County.
Trail building. Tree planting. Park beautifying. Bumble bee photographing. Weed pulling. Wetland monitoring. Park Stewardship. We’ve got quite the range of opportunities for you to make a difference at Milwaukee County Parks!
Many of our opportunities change with the seasons; some are big projects, some are small. We have volunteer opportunities that are one-day events, and others require orientation and special training. Take a look at our program areas below and see which ones are a good fit for your interests and schedule.
Are you interested in making a difference with Milwaukee County Parks but not sure where to start? Please complete this form to start the process of becoming a Milwaukee County Parks Volunteer, and we will help you connect with the right opportunities. We will also send updates about volunteer needs, service days, and other opportunities for you to make a difference!
Volunteer Intake Form
Orientation: April and September
Volunteers monitor “high risk” Parks facilities and document evidence of bird window-strikes during spring and fall migration. Surveys occur daily with a 10-day cycle in spring and a 20-day cycle in fall. Data gathered will be used to retro-fit facilities and manage adjacent habitat making it safer for birds.
Orientation: June
Help document and protect our native pollinators! Volunteers visit an assigned natural area with suitable pollinator habitat a minimum of six times from May to October and, using protocol from the WDNR’s Bumble Bee Brigade, identify and photograph bumble bee populations. Data gathered provides valuable insight to overall habitat health and suggests management strategies that will protect and attract Bumble Bee populations.
Contribute to wildlife monitoring year-round! Submit photo observations to iNaturalist and include the park location in the description. These observations are combed over by Natural Areas staff and may be added to wildlife databases as proof of a species existing in our Parks. Photos of roadkill can be important, too. By submitting photos of roadkill and marking the finds as "dead", community scientists can help Parks determine where high collision roads are and contribute to wildlife mortality mitigation strategies. Please stick to trails and publicly-accessible roads when enjoying our Natural Areas.
Volunteers help to maintain nest boxes by cleaning out and opening boxes in late fall, closing them in early spring and reporting any issues to staff (i.e. broken/missing parts). When volunteers clean out the nest boxes in fall they report which species nested in each during the breeding season.
Orientation: February/March.
Volunteers visit assigned wetlands multiple times from March through June to gather data on sensitive wildlife populations. Volunteers attend a mandatory field training and are provided with a wetland monitoring kit to conduct aquatic funnel trapping, visual encounter surveys, frog call surveys and secretive marsh bird surveys (volunteers may participate in a combination of surveys). Data is used to guide management of these wetlands and protect the wildlife that use them. Spaces limited; priority given to volunteers with prior experience.
The Weed-Out® program is coordinated by The Park People in cooperation with Parks' Natural Areas Program. Volunteers help control invasive species at different natural areas throughout Milwaukee County Parks. You can find active Weed-Out events for the current season at: parkpeoplemke.org/get-involved/programs/weed-out/. If there isn't a Weed-Out® at your desired park, you can certainly still do invasive species removal!
All Weed-Out® locations must have a certified coordinator which includes attending training (March and August) and may involve becoming a certified commercial pesticide applicator through DATCP. The Park People provide tools, personal protective equipment, and necessary herbicide. Sorry, but no power tools.
Help us restore native plants in our parks! Volunteers collect seed from approved native plant species within Milwaukee County Parks. This is a mostly independent volunteer opportunity so participants must have strong plant identification skills. Gathered seed is delivered to the program coordinator and planted at target restoration sites by Natural Areas staff.
Volunteers attend an online orientation to receive training on identification of target species and proper seed collection protocol.
Tree planting isn't only for Earth Day! October is for annual reforestation where, on average, we plant 1,500 to 2,000 trees with multiple planting dates offered across a few weeks. Volunteers work with staff to plant 3- to 5-gallon sized, potted native trees and shrubs in pre-drilled holes. You can expect to be carrying about 15 pounds, kneeling for extended periods of time, and getting your hands dirty! We recommend wearing work clothes that will allow you the full conservation experience — mud and all! No previous experience is required.
Wehr has volunteer opportunities for all and is always taking new applications. As a volunteer, you might spend a few hours a year assisting with a special event, a few hours a week volunteering as part of a group or a few hours every day feeding the animals.
Volunteers at Boerner Botanical Gardens are needed for a variety of activities including organizing family events, running classes, staffing the gift shop, leading garden tours and providing weeding and garden support for horticultural staff.
Volunteer opportunities at the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory include staffing the gift shop, organizing fundraising events and assisting and running educational programs.
Clean-ups are a great way to bond with your community while beautifying our parks. In the form below, any individual or group looking to be Park Stewards can select which park, beach, or trail you'd like to clean up or reach out to Engagement Manager, [email protected] to find a park that is in need of clean up. Examples of work could include weed clearing, trash and debris pick-up, etc.
Clean-Up Registration Form
Group service days are a great way for your corporate team, church group, school or organization to give back to the Parks while enjoying a fun team building day. Group service days typically include activities like invasive species removal, trail maintenance, gardening/landscaping, bumblebee surveys, or a special project like painting benches, for example.
Group Service Day Request
Scouts looking to do a construction-oriented project — such as building a fire pit, enhancing an archery range, etc. — need to submit their projects through a Park Improvement Project Request. Project applications are reviewed by Parks planning staff and ultimately accepted or denied. The process can take 4 to 6 months depending on project scope, so plan ahead. All project costs must be raised by the Scout. Please use the Community Project application form.
Puncheons and Nest Boxes: If you are interested in building a trail puncheon or bird nesting box, contact [email protected]. All project costs must be raised by the Eagle Scout.
Pledge to bike or walk a line of the Oak Leaf Trail 6 times or more a year and fill out a checklist to help coordinate maintenance work by county staff. BONUS: Picking up garbage and sweeping up glass while inspecting the trail is much appreciated! This opportunity is on your own schedule.
Pledge to walk a Forked Aster Trail at least 4 times a year and fill out a checklist to help coordinate maintenance work by county staff. BONUS: Picking up garbage while inspecting the trail is much appreciated! This opportunity is on your own schedule.
Help trim back plants that grow into the Forked Aster Trail in any of the 30+ trail locations. Receive a 1-hour training and bring your own tools (loppers or hand saw).
Join scheduled work days around the county to improve the sustainability of the hiking trails. Training and tools provided on-site. Task may include: trailhead improvements, new trail construction, trail closings, erosion control, and invasive species removal.
Locations:
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9480 W. Watertown Plank Road Wauwatosa, WI 53226 (414) 257-PARK (7275) Parks E-News Signup
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