Information for this article was provided by Riveredge Nature Center, proud supporters of Radio Milwaukee. All content was reviewed and edited by Radio Milwaukee staff to ensure its resonance with our audience and mission.
For nearly 60 years, Riveredge Nature Center has been home to one of the most ecologically diverse areas of Southeastern Wisconsin. With the Milwaukee River flowing throughout, the 485 acres tucked just off Highway 33 about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee are a spectacular display of the state’s natural beauty.
But even after almost six decades, the nonprofit organization is still finding new features to bring to its prairies, woodlands and wetlands. That includes a recent major renovation, resulting in an increasingly visible commitment to inclusivity.
The driving force behind the project at their Visitor Center building was a need to better serve the diverse populations who connect with nature at Riveredge:
- Adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities attend year-round programs through community partnerships.
- People with memory loss and their care partners attend Memory Café in a joint effort with a local Aging & Disability Resource Center.
- People with mobility needs regularly utilize Riveredge’s all-terrain outdoor wheelchair free of charge.
Every month of the year, the center offers a full calendar of nature programming designed for everyone, from early childhood learners to elders. The message is clear: All people, all bodies and all ages are welcome to explore nature at Riveredge. Now, the Visitor Center — built prior to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) — truly reflects that message as the main hub for the organization’s programs.
The Visitor Center’s accessibility features start with newly ADA-compliant entrances, accessible restrooms, a family restroom equipped with an adult-size changing table, and a lift between levels to access the outdoor wheelchair and the trails without stairs.
For parents feeding children, those with sensory needs, and anyone in need of a mental-health break or quiet mindful moment, the center now features a lactation and wellness room designed to address all of those situations. There’s also the Children’s Library that provides younger visitors a space to play and read, as well as connection-focused seating areas in the Octagon that create a welcoming third space to gather, work and reflect.
Riveredge’s expanded classroom space means expanded opportunities for Milwaukee-area youth to engage in immersive outdoor education. In its most recent fiscal year, the nature center provided 2,553 watershed educational experiences across 18 Milwaukee schools. Hands-on education allows students to gear up in hip boots and directly analyze life in the river, with outreach deepening the learning in the form of subsequent school visits from Riveredge educators.
Keeping things accessible also means a further commitment to free and low-cost programs like Riveredge’s Free Trails Day on the second Saturday of each month, as well as regularly provided free nature programs for people of all experience levels. In addition, community members get involved in other ways, including environmental volunteering and citizen science opportunities.
Even after all of that, Riveredge still isn’t done. Plans are in place for an accessible trail loop that will be among the next phase of improvements, which is in need of donors to move forward.
Everything the nature center has done since 1968 and everything it has planned for the future is about the power of connection, just as the Milwaukee River connects everyone who calls the watershed home. Riveredge is a reminder that access to nature belongs to all people, because — as is the case for so many situations — diversity equals strength.
The more types of organisms that share intricate relationships in a habitat, the greater its health and potential to flourish. Riveredge continues to pursue this idea in the human communities it serves, putting inclusivity at the center of the organization’s vision for the future.
To learn more about the nature center’s accessibility initiatives and other programs, visit the Riveredge website.
