User:Brzezij/sandbox

Description[edit source]
Wehr Nature Center is located within Whitnall Park, in Franklin, Wisconsin. Wehr Nature Center 200-acres in size is equipped with restrooms, items available for rent, staff, and a nature store. It offers classes and programs for children and adults of all ages. Visitors can enjoy a hike through any or all of the five different habitats.

Woodland Trail Loop
This 0.5 mile hike would take you about 30 minutes. It is through a forest full of wildflowers, shrubs, and a thick vegetation of trees. The most popular tree in this area is the sugar maple. There also being just as many hickories and old oak s. Come spring time Jack-in-the-pulpit and Trillium can be identified.

Oak Savanna Loop
This 0.5 mile hike would take you about 30 minutes. The trees in this area are more spread out. This allows ground vegetation to thrive. This includes various herbaceous plants and grasses. A species of known as Bur Oak are quite common in this area. Some wildflowers you can expect to see are Black-eyed Susans and Ratibida pinnata also known as the Gray-headed Coneflower. Some birds often spotted in this are American Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings, and Ring-necked pheasants.

Prairie Loop
This 0.8 mile hike would take you about 40 minutes. The growth in this area has to fight against troubling conditions. These conditions can include extremely high\low temperatures, intense winds, and lack of water. This area contains a lot of grasses and flowering plants. Some of the most common in the area are Liatris Spicata, goldenrod, purple cone flower, compass plant, Big Bluestem, and Indian Grass.

Wetland Loop
This 0.6 mile hike would take you about 30 minutes. This loop includes a bunch of varying wet areas. Some ares contain heavier water conditions than others. This affects the types of plants that grow in each area. Common species in this moist are includes Black Walnut and Black Willow trees. Some popular shrubs in this area are Red-twig and Gray Dogwood. Swamp Milkweed and Joe-Pye-Weed are the wildflowers that grow well in this area.

Mallard Lake
This around the lake walk would take you about an hour and fifteen minutes. This lake was man made in the 1930s and is about 20 acres big. Written in the name expect to see many mallards.

Nature Playspace
Kids of all ages can enjoy a safe place to play and interact with nature. Inspired by the decrease in outdoor playing this space allows kids to explore the outdoors. Kids are able to climb rocks, learn about native plants, climb on and through a giant log, Bluestem prairie plant maze, and dig through sand for various rocks and stones.

Kids Programs
Little wonders ages 2-3 and NatureNauts ages 4-6 can expect to explore nature, learn various topics, do crafts, and outdoor activities. Kids 3-13 can also participate in summer day camps. There are multiple opportunities for teens to volunteer.

Adult Programs
The Wehr Nature Center has various programs for adults including birding, nature hikes, master naturalists classes, workshops\citizen science, and volunteer opportunities.

History[edit source]
Whitnall Park started to be planned in the years 1930-1932 by Alfred L. Boerner, the county landscaper at the time. During 1933-1935 Mallard Lake was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps containing 300 men who also built bridges and planted trees. In 1952, before the actual center was built, the first nature trail was created. By 1964 plans for the Wehr nature center were created. In 1965 they started planting the prairie. In 1970 the Todd Wehr Foundation provided funding to the build the center and construction began in 1972. It was completed on June 14th, 1974. By 1975 the trails were established by county workers and high school scouts.

External links[edit source]
Milwaukee County Parks

Official Website

Friends of Wehr Organization\Volunteer information

References (will appear automatically when you create formatted citations)[edit source]
examples can be provided (see below)