Turtle Park
Located along the Milwaukee River estuary in the city of Milwaukee, Turtle Park is 4 acres and home to our Milwaukee Office. This preserve is a transition between the hardscape downtown Riverwalk and the 800-acre natural river valley upstream! Also the southern entrance to the Greenway, Turtle Park has become a destination for greater public access to the river and its adjacent greenspaces. It features the Kiwanis Landing boat launch, a bouncy yoga pad, countless species of insects and wildlife, bike parking, a pedestrian bridge, great fishing spots, and a lush native Savannah prairie.
​
​
Location: 2124 N Riverboat Rd Milwaukee, WI
Size: ~4 Acres
Google Map Link: Click Here
Acquisition
The “wheelhouse” property was acquired in 2009; 2.8 acres for $1.4 million with WDNR stewardship funds, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Greenseams, and many other foundations, corporate, and individual donations. The abandoned building was demolished and parking lots removed in 2010 to transform the site to wildlife habitat.
This once blighted commercial space is now a lively urban natural area that attracts all sorts of wildlife: red-tailed and cooper’s hawks; tree swallows (breeding); migratory birds and waterfowl; coyote; chickadees (nesting); soft shell, map, painted and red eared sliders; northern leopard frogs; butler and common garter snakes; and brown dekay snakes. For a complete list of bird species that can be observed at Turtle Park, check out the hotspot on ebird.org, and enter your observations during your visit too!
​
In 2014, the “Lazenby” parcel was acquired as part of the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum project and added to Turtle Park; .5 acres for $425,000 that used a land donation as match for a WDNR stewardship grant. Extensive shoreline and habitat restoration has been completed; the house was converted to RRF offices and the building is a demonstration project with a green roof and solar panels.
Turtle Park 2009