Like the monarch butterflies that rest en masse on the area’s huge sycamore during their southern migration, the UWM Monarch Conservancy at Innovation Campus is undergoing a metamorphosis. While still in its infancy, plans are to turn 11 acres of the former Milwaukee County grounds in Wauwatosa into lush prairie — a peaceful, natural refuge for these graceful creatures and other desirable plants and wildlife.
Dave Gilbert, Innovation Campus executive director, says collaboration has been key as UWM works with a local group of naturists, Friends of the Monarch Trail, to revamp the site. “The discussion between UWM and the citizen group is making the entire campus development even more ecofriendly,” Gilbert says.
“The early phase of the project has been to get the invasive species under control,” says James Reinartz, UWM Field Station director and the University’s conservation consultant at Innovation Park. “Last year, we planted the first prairie, which is just now establishing itself.”
“It’s a work in progress, aimed at protecting these fragile butterflies,” says Barb Agnew, founder of Friends of the Monarch Trail. While she says the monarchs have become the symbolic reason for restoring and protecting the land, she and Reinartz emphasize that improvements will ultimately benefit all resident wildlife and plant communities, and purposefully restore a much-needed natural space.
“There are people who really valued the open aspect of the former Milwaukee County grounds,” Reinartz explains. “It was viewed as essentially park land and was valuable for people to walk their dogs and provide a resting place for the monarchs. The concerns of these residents set the target for what UWM is doing here. We are committed to making this a beautiful natural area — better than it was before.”
