The Urban Ecology Center

By Eryn Germino

How did this organization come to be? Well, it began with a community of concerned neighbors who wanted to take back their neighborhood park and make it safe again. Riverside Park, which had been neglected for years, had become crime ridden, full of litter and invasive plants. Neighbors came together and formulated an idea – could they replace crime and litter with learning? In 1991, they organized park cleanups and started to use the park to teach neighborhood students about nature and science. In 2004, after years of operating out of a double-wide classroom trailer, the Center opened a new community and education center in Riverside Park. The award-winning facility has themed classrooms designed especially for the school programs.

For more information on the great programming offered at the Urban Ecology Center this summer, check out their website! https://urbanecologycenter.org/