Nearby Nature Milwaukee has temporarily suspended operations and laid off its staff.
The nearly eight-year-old nonprofit environmental advocacy group announced it is pausing operations in a statement posted in a newsletter earlier this month.
The organization’s board decided to temporarily suspend most of its operations to conduct an internal audit and to undergo restructuring, the statement said.
The decision follows resignations of two key personnel who left the organization “without the ability to carry out programming essential to our mission,” the statement noted.
Its remaining two staff members, including executive director Timothy Scott Sr., were laid off May 2.
In a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nearby Nature said it could not comment on personnel matters, but added, “We are engaging a consultant that we hope will help us reemerge strong and sustainable.”
Founded in 2017, Nearby Nature’s mission supports environmental justice, recreational outings, land stewardship, habitation research and access to natural areas in the 30th Street Corridor and Lincoln Creek Greenway. The organization also offers youth outreach programming and promotes inclusiveness in environmental movements.
The move came as a surprise to many, including Scott.
“It was a ton of bricks that hit me,” he said said.
Scott received an email after church on Sunday announcing the organization’s decision. That Thursday, Scott signed paperwork with the bank regarding payroll.
Scott, hired last April, has been on the job for a year. He raised nearly $176,000 for the organization during his 13-month tenure, according to Nearby Nature.
“I thought we were moving along just fine,” Scott said. “As far as looking at the finances and working with the bookkeeper, it didn’t look like we were in trouble with the money.”
Recently, Scott led a river clean-up at McGovern Park, which attracted about 26 volunteers.
The organization also hosted its African American Environmental Pioneer Awards in February, honoring six African American residents working for a better environment. The recipients were chosen by previous honorees and event organizers. To date, 62 Black environmentalists have been honored.
Scott said the organization’s mission of connecting communities of color with nature is important and needs to remain regardless of what’s next for the organization.
Scott said he had focused on introductory programming to expose people to nature like walking, biking, gardening, and fishing. The Black community is a very traumatized community, he said, and nature can be a restorative approach to healing.
Children need to know about these green spaces, parks, riverways and the lakefront, which he said many youths still haven’t visited.
“We have free mental health, spiritual health, and) physical health opportunities right in our own neighborhoods. But we don’t realize that,” Scott said.
The group still plans to move forward with some of its activities, including native planting in Hopkins Hollow and the Lincoln Creek celebration in June.
“I am walking away with Nearby Nature with my head held high,” Scott said. “I did the best that I could, and I made some progress.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nearby Nature Milwaukee lays off staff, suspends operations