Waukesha County Conservation

Waukesha County Park System is a natural resource based park system with over 9,000 acres of parkland, 35 miles of trails, eight lakes, and is home to the renowned Retzer Nature Center. The county has worked to acquire natural areas of regional and statewide ecological significance containing a diversity of ecotypes and rare flora and fauna found within the area.

The natural areas within the park system contain a variety of habitat types including oak savanna, oak woodland, maple-basswood forest, fens, prairie, southern mesic forest, lowland hardwood swamps, and many wetlands. Effectively protecting and managing the diverse and unique natural resources in Waukesha County is of paramount importance in preserving the ecological integrity and function of these green spaces for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Our staff, volunteers, and corporate sponsors work together to restore and monitor the natural areas and species within them throughout the Park System. They do so through the use of a variety of research, citizen science programs, and stewardship projects.