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.
The Natural Areas Team at Milwaukee County Parks manages over 10,000 acres of land. From forests and prairies to surrogate grasslands and fens, the natural areas under Milwaukee County Parks stewardship are vital to the environmental health of the region. We respectfully acknowledge that the lands and waters encompassed by the Milwaukee County Park System are on the ancestral homeland of Indigenous People. We honor the ancestral owners and strive to be respectful stewards. Learn more in our Land Acknowledgement Statement.
With the help of volunteers and community scientists, the Natural Areas Team monitors wildlife populations, develops habitat restoration plans, and protects the wild spaces that enhance the ecological health of Milwaukee County. Each year, volunteers donate 13.000 hours, valued at nearly a half million dollars.
Managing invasive species that threaten our native plants and wildlife is an ongoing effort. Invasive species displace native species, reduce biodiversity, degrade wildlife habitat, and factor into the decline of threatened and endangered species.
The Natural Areas Team controls dozens of species of invasive plants throughout the county. Species include Japanese knotweed, lesser celandine, Asian bittersweet, Japanese barberry, invasive bush honeysuckle, privet, common burdock, and wild parsnip. In addition, the team helps organize Weed-Outs with friends groups and volunteers to remove invasives such as common buckthorn, garlic mustard, and dame's rocket.
Monitoring wildlife populations is a reliable way to determine the ecological health of our natural areas and the success of our restoration efforts. Data collected by staff and community scientists is crucial in helping to make sure that common species remain common, and that rare, threatened, and endangered species are protected and properly managed. Current wildlife monitoring programs include:
As a designated Important Bird Area, Milwaukee County Parks takes additional measures to protect the diverse habitat of our feathered friends, including oak woodlands, riparian forest, recreated prairie, 85 miles of river and stream corridors, a diversity of wetlands, and 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. The Moratorium Policy on Vegetation Management During the Bird Nesting Season directs the work of not only the Parks, but also the entities doing work through right-of-entry permits.
2024 - 2033
Research and community-based monitoring programs include:
Read the 2024 Review
Protection of Nature Milwaukee County Ordinance 47.08 addresses destruction of property, protection of nature, removal or deposits of material, and penalties for violations.
Learn more about the Ordinance
9480 W. Watertown Plank Road Wauwatosa, WI 53226 (414) 257-PARK (7275) Parks E-News Signup