Et cetera : NCCC Team Helps Keep Milwaukee Green

Dylan Sharkey, from Ohio, helps cut down invasive trees at the Pickerel Preserve.

By Alyssa Belleveau

The NCCC team of seven is hard at work with both the Milwaukee Parks Department and the Nature Conservancy, working on various projects that help preserve Milwaukee’s nature. The team has been switching between working for both sponsors on projects that include removal of invasive species and planting native species.

Oak 6 has been working with The Nature Conservancy all around Milwaukee in the Lulu, Meyer, and Pickerel nature preserves, on tasks that range from building a new floating dock for canoes to surveying miles of land for invasive species. They have also helped remove dead trees, invasive species, and plant native species that help the local ecosystems. They have been able to observe these areas of land that are maintained by the Nature Conservancy, which works hard to not only preserve land but also take developed land and return it to its natural state.

The Parks Department of Milwaukee has used the NCCC team to help pick pounds of garlic mustard, an invasive species that harms the environment. At Grant Park, the team created a mile long natural fence, created by cutting down invasive trees and then forming a fence that will become a natural habitat for many birds. All of the work done in Milwaukee helps create and maintain natural, native environments that animals and people alike can enjoy.