Back in September, we told you about photographer Eddee Daniel's book "Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed," published in large-format paperback by the Center for American Places and Columbia College Chicago.

As we said back then, Daniel, who collaborates with Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers, has been a photography teacher for more than a quarter of a century, so it should come as little surprise that this exploration and meditation on the Menomonee River is heavily illustrated with color photos that bring this book alive.

Anyone familiar with the concrete-banked torrent we see under the Wisconsin Avenue viaduct or the stretch of river running through the former industrial wasteland of the Menomonee Valley will be surprised to see Daniel's images of wildlife, prairies and woods that are part of the river's reality before it arrives here.

We recently caught up with Daniel to ask him about the book and about his involvement with the Menomonee River and more.

OMC: I know you come from a photography background, but do you also have a background in environmentalism?

ED: I have been an environmental advocate most of my life. I attended the first Earth Day celebrations in New York City in 1970.

Since 1999, I have been a board member of Milwaukee's Riverkeeper (formerly Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers). I joined the organization to help them fight the proposed sale of the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa. As a board member I initiated the Urban Wilderness Project that culminated in the publication of the book.

I have also worked with several other organizations, including the Urban Ecology Center, the Sierra Club, the River Revitalization Foundation and the Conservation Fund.

OMC: Was it that mix of experience that brought you to this project?

ED: Yes, I was inspired by the vision of the founder of what was originally the Friends of Menomonee River, Bob Boucher. He suggested that the wonderful river parkways in the Milwaukee County Parks system be extended; an interconnected network of natural lands could be protected within the scope of an entire watershed rather than one limited by political boundaries.

OMC: Why the Menomonee River in particular? Was it the most interesting subject of its kind from a photographic standpoint or was it the most appropriate intersection of art and envirnomentalism for the project?

ED: The Menomonee symbolizes the issues, promises and concerns about urban rivers because it runs through the heart of the city. It includes densely populated urban, industrial, inner tier suburban, outer tier suburban and agricultural areas in a compact geographic region.

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