There is no shortage of events at Milwaukee County Parks’ Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W. College Ave., and best of all the center, which has been a pioneering leader in accessibility and inclusion in the county, works to make sure no one is left out of the fun and learning.

Take for example the upcoming Halloween Haunts, which takes place over three nights, Oct. 17-19.

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“We have small groups that go out every seven minutes,” says Wehr Director Carly Hintz. “It's led by a guide. We walk through an enchanted trail that is adorned with over 300 carved pumpkins. We meet several characters along the way. They're not spooky. It's more like edutainment.

“There's lots of really great fun, nature-themed special effects and things like that, too. Very family friendly but also fun for a date night.”

And thanks to Wehr’s staff and volunteers, no one has to feel that they can’t attend and have a great time. As staffers like to say about Wehr, "All seasons, all abilities."

Over the years, the nature center's accessible boardwalk has been growing and and is now a mile long and will soon connect to an accessible pier and observation blind, too, for example.

You can also read here about some of Wehr’s mobility amenities – including canes, wheelchairs, portable chairs called seat canes, rollator walkers, devices to aid in seeing and hearing wildlife, walkers, sensory bags and, thanks to Access Ability Wisconsin, a heavy duty All-Terrain Chair – all of which are free to use.

And there’s nothing the staff won’t do to help make the center open to all.

“There's one section of the trail that is a steep upward woodchipped path,” Hintz says, “but if there's a mobility need, we would love to work with you to either bring the characters down if we have a predetermined time slot and make that accessible or utilize a mobility device to assist.

“We have that all laid out on the website, along with Accessibility and Inclusion Coordinator Emily Brown's contact, and she'll definitely work with anybody to make sure that we can accommodate their fully participating in the event.”

That goes not just for Halloween Haunts, for which you can sign up here, but all programming and events, including regular features like family weekend programs, yoga and birding, and the SPARK! program for older adults suffering from memory loss, and Operation Recon Nature for veterans and their families.

It’s also true of special events like next month’s Full Moon Walk, and, really, there doesn’t even have to be an event or program going on for Wehr to welcome everyone.

“If you have an accommodation or a request, we have an open line,” Hintz urges. “Just call us, and whatever it is, we'll figure out a way for you and your family to be able to comfortably participate.”

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That spirit goes way back at Wehr, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, says former Wehr Education Director Paul Brings, who is a member of the Friends of Wehr board and a volunteer. He’s been a part of Wehr for pretty much its entire lifespan.

“We wanted to serve people, all people, and in order to do that, we had to learn how to do that,” Brings says. “It's not something you just do, (but) how do you do it without hurting people?”

Back in the 1970s inclusion wasn’t front of mind, so there was no playbook for the Wehr team to follow. Instead, they had to write their own.

“Teachers were a big help with that,” Brings says. “They know the limits. They know how to teach, and they helped us all the way through. It has been a great experience.”

Now, Brings and Hintz agree, the County recognizes Wehr’s pioneering role in this area.

Part of that is due to the wide net that Wehr casts in its efforts to include everyone. It’s not just persons with disabilities or those facing mobility challenges, but also youth access to nature.

For many years, Brings helmed the Kids in the Parks program, which continues to this day and worked to partner groups of city kids with a Wehr naturalist in County Parks located all around Milwaukee.

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“In the early 1980s we were at capacity here,” Brings recalls. “There were more groups that wanted to be here than we could handle. So we started Kids in the Parks and the naturalists would go out and work with groups in parks around the county in multiple communities, close to schools, and people could walk from home.

“It helped us discover what's out there in the magnificent park system and it's a great place for kids in school to walk to a park rather than drive to a park or wait for a bus. Very accessible. It has really opened up the parks system to education.”

These days, the program – which is funded by scholarships from Wehr Nature Center – has been expanded, Hintz says, to include young adults with disabilities who visit Wehr on day trips.

Last academic year, Wehr served 8,525 students and 17 percent of those – 1,451 kids – were funded by Kids in the Parks scholarships.

“Groups from the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired or the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan (have long been) coming out, and they're still coming out to this day, and I think that's really neat,” Hintz adds.

Toni Fink, a teacher at Spanish Immersion School, is enthusiastic about the Kids in the Park program.

"Outdoor education is so important to connect our students and families to our local resources and to build confidence to walk away from technology to experience nature," she says. "Our students do not have many experiences with nature, the outdoors or local parks and resources. Our field trip to Wehr Nature Center has become a true highlight for students, parents and teachers."

Since joining Wehr as an intern last year, Jessica Del Toro, who is now the marketing and communications assistant for the Friends of Wehr, has opened yet another door to accessibility and inclusion by translating the Wehr and Friends of Wehr websites into Spanish (which will launch soon), creating Spanish-language signage, offering translation services on-site and more.

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“I grew up coming to the park and so for me to now work here is truly a full circle moment,” Del Toro muses. “For several months from the summer into the fall (in 2023), I was the marketing and social media intern and that's when I started implementing a lot of bilingual signage and social media posts.”

Del Toro communicates regularly with Telemundo Wisconsin and other Spanish-language media to get the word out about Wehr Nature Center.

“I have a personal connection,” she says. “Thinking about my family and how their first language is Spanish, but also that the park is just so beautiful and everyone should have access to it ... to be able to use these channels and promote the park and just the beauty of it and that people should connect with it, that really is what is so motivating and that is so special.”

Del Toro is also on-site most of the time and, like Emily Brown, stands at the ready to assist Spanish-speakers in any way she can.

“Whenever there is a need for translation or helping out a visitor, I am more than happy to do that,” she says. “Whether it's them visiting the center or at an event or they're visiting and they want to sign up for an event, whether it's in-person or a call, I'm always there to help them out. I’m proud to be working in a place like this.”

She says that as the need arises, Wehr will work to offer similar services in other languages, too.

“Spanish is the first language that we've implemented (and) there's always room to grow and room to expand,” Del Toro says. “At the end of the day, we just want people of all backgrounds, all ethnicities to just come and learn and we'll make it work for you no matter what language you speak.

“We want you to have a good time here. We want you to learn, whether you're a little kid or you're an adult, we want you to have a really great time.”

Walking on a trail past a wooded spot that Brings says is his favorite at Wehr – “if I was a deer I’d love to live here,” he says – Brings seconds Del Toro.

“Talk to any of the staff and many of the volunteers and we'll show you how you can get out here safely and enjoy multiple biological communities,” he assures. “There are lots of people here to help you find the right trail, lots of people to help you find the right location. It's really an awesome place to get out on the trails.”