The other day, I arrived early for a volunteer workday at one of Wisconsin’s state forests. Since I had an hour to spare before the work started, I decided to take a little nature walk.
First, I walked through a lush pollinator planting which was wild with blooming flowers. The trail continued through a tranquil forest of maples, which opened into a huge grassland. A bluebird flew across the path right in front of me and perched confidently in an oak tree. Rounding a bend in the trail, the wood-sided nature center came into view. It was flanked by a newly planted rain garden, fresh paths, and a cute little bridge.
I’d barely scratched the surface of this state forest’s six miles of trails. I didn’t even have time to see the ponds or wetlands. I’m sure by now you’ve guessed exactly where I was.
You guessed right – I was in the middle of Milwaukee’s north side.
Purple coneflower alongside one of the many trails meandering through a surprisingly varied landscape in a unique location. Photo by Shelly Torkelson
Havenwoods State Forest is an unexpected treasure: 237 acres (nearly 200 football fields) of forest, grassland, and wetlands smack dab in Wisconsin’s most populous city. Through the dedication of the Friends of Havenwoods State Forest, Wisconsin DNR, volunteers, and community groups like Nearby Nature, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, and Cream City Conservation, this incredible place has been undergoing many improvements in recent years, several of which have been supported by NRF.
A workday at Havenwoods State Forest
I arrived back from my walk at the Havenwoods Nature Center to await my volunteer task. Frances Meyer, a natural resources educator with the Wisconsin DNR who divides her time between Havenwoods and Lakeshore State Park, showed me and the other volunteers the ropes. We were going to be planting native plants in the new rain garden – an exciting job for a nature nerd like me!
The initial rain garden planting in spring 2025. Photo by Angela Vickio (WDNR)
The new rain garden is an important recent project at Havenwoods. Thanks to a Fund for Lake Michigan grant, NRF has been helping the Wisconsin DNR fix up the overgrown rain garden. They’ve been removing invasives, renovating the basins, installing paths and a small bridge, and planting native plants with the help of volunteers.
“Anytime we can do these habitat improvements close to the nature center is of benefit, especially when we’re doing field trips with younger age groups like first graders who can’t hike very far,” explained Angela Vickio, the DNR’s property supervisor for Havenwoods. “The rain garden [is] completely funded by NRF and the Fund for Lake Michigan, and that’s going to benefit our water drainage, soil quality, and native habitat for pollinators. But it’s also good for visitor use.”
The freshly-planted rain garden at Havenwoods State Forest, with orange coneflower plants in the foreground enjoying the first day in their new home. Behind, Tre (volunteer) and Frances (WDNR) work on planting more. Photo by Shelly Torkelson
Planting for the future
In the summer heat, getting the pollinator plants into the ground was tiring, sweaty, dirty work. Mostly, we were repeatedly crouching down to add compost, nestle the plants into their holes, and mulch. But planting the orange coneflower, wild indigo, and others was well worth it.
As the new plants grow and establish themselves, they’ll bring more native insects and birds to Havenwoods.
The Naturalist Backyard, planted in 2021 and 2023 at Havenwoods with support from NRF and others, provides a glimpse of the future. It’s already teeming with wildflowers and buzzing with pollinators, showing how quickly these plantings can mature. A couple years from now, the rain garden will be abuzz, too.
The Naturalist Backyard at Havenwoods is unexpectedly lush, only a few years after it was planted. Before photo (2023) by Caitlin Williamson , after photo (2025) by Shelly Torkelson
It’s peaceful here, with the birds chirping and everything.
Increasing access to Havenwoods State Forest
In between planting and mulching, one of my fellow volunteers, Tre, said he lives up the road from Havenwoods. He remembers coming to the forest with his school and daycare when he was a kid.
It would be ideal if all 4,611 first graders in the Milwaukee Public Schools could come visit Havenwoods. Vickio says they’ve gradually been able to get more people to visit and, thanks in part to funding from NRF, Union Pacific Foundation, and Johnson Controls, they can now provide more educational programs than ever before.
Cort Taylor, one of NRF’s Diversity in Conservation interns, photographs native wildflowers during a field trip that the 2024 cohort of interns took to Havenwoods. Photo by Jaeden Carrasquillo
At NRF, we believe that everyone deserves to get outdoors and enjoy the natural world. Our strategic plan includes a commitment to connect diverse communities to nature in Wisconsin. Our Diversity in Conservation interns visit Havenwoods all together to learn about the history of Havenwoods and restoration efforts currently underway at the site. Jaeden Carrasquillo, a member of our 2023 intern cohort, made weekly visits to Havenwoods during his internship to pull invasive species. Andie Zei, from our 2025 intern cohort, loved interacting with visitors at the Havenwoods Nature Center. We have NRF Field Trips that take place there as well, exploring the fascinating history of the site, urban nature photography, and more.
Vickio hopes more folks will find the hidden gem of Havenwoods. “We have programs and events year-round. We check out snowshoes and binoculars to people for free, you just have to use them on the property. Come walk your dog, or look for birds – there’s a lot of them.”
Attendees of NRF Field Trip #152 “Milwaukee Wildlife” enjoying Havenwoods. Photo by Jamie Kollman
Supporting Havenwoods State Forest
At Havenwoods, NRF has provided grants to support trail accessibility, pollinator planting, pollinator garden signage, habitat creation, and educational programming. Additionally, NRF holds the Friends of Havenwoods State Forest Endowment Fund. Beyond supporting NRF, you can also support Havenwoods by volunteering with the Friends of Havenwoods State Forest or by joining another of the DNR’s volunteer workdays , such as their Stewardship Saturdays. They make it really easy to help out – all you have to do is show up with long pants and some energy!
Thank you so much to NRF’s members and donors for helping connect all people with nature in Wisconsin at Havenwoods, and for helping to protect its lands, waters, and wildlife. And a special thank you to Union Pacific Foundation, Johnson Controls Foundation, and Fund for Lake Michigan for their significant support of Havenwoods.
Most of all, thank you to everyone who is volunteering to make Havenwoods an unexpectedly easy place to immerse yourself in nature, in the heart of our biggest city.
Written by Shelly Torkelson, communications director