The cache is not at the posted coordinates. This is a bonus cache for completing the Adventure Lab entitled "The Wauwatosa Troll - Mama Rosa."
The actual coordinates for this geocache will be displayed on the final journal page after you have completed the 5-stage Adventure Lab. Your adventure can begin after downloading and launching the Geocaching Adventure Lab mobile app from Groundspeak (geocaching.com). To find this app and to start this adventure, click here: TosaTroll.
Wauwatosa’s Firefly Grove Park is a combination of public art and environmental stewardship. At its heart stands Mama Rosa, the 25-foot-tall troll sculpture crafted entirely from reclaimed wood and salvaged materials by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. This whimsical figure, clutching a “bouquet” of discarded lampposts, is more than a selfie magnet - it’s a symbol of transformation, turning urban waste into wonder. As Dambo puts it, “We should treat our trash like a treasure,” and Mama Rosa embodies that ethos with glowing charm, powered by solar panels that light up her bouquet at night.
The park is packed with additional creative, sustainable, and inclusive features that make it a standout destination:
🌿 Art & Whimsy 
- In addition to the park's troll, there are five one-of-a-kind, public art benches designed by local and regional artists - including one by a Wauwatosa firefighter - adding color and creativity throughout the park.
- Winding walking paths that invite visitors to stroll through the park’s natural landscape.
- A living willow hut - yes, it’s planted - designed by a city parks staff member with a fine arts degree, offers a natural hideaway.
🎠 Play & Accessibility
- Nature play areas with logs, stones, and decks invite imaginative exploration beyond traditional steps and sidewalks.
- Accessible play equipment installed at wheelchair transfer heights, ensuring inclusive fun for all ages.
- One of the area's only bicycle pump tracks, offering riders of all ages a chance to build skills and enjoy an exciting looped course.
- A pavilion with picnic tables, perfect for gatherings and shade.
- Rolling hills (drumlins) add a scenic, playful landscape.
- A sledding hill for wintertime fun.
🌱 Nature & Sustainability
- Permeable pavement paths that allow rainwater to filter naturally into the ground through the pavement, reducing runoff and protecting local waterways.
- A sophisticated stormwater system - including a biofiltration basin, pond, and engineered wetlands - can manage up to 600,000 gallons during major rain events.
- On-site renewable solar energy - solar panels power the park’s lighting, including Mama Rosa’s bouquet of LED-lit lampposts, and some of the art benches.
- Reclaimed lamp posts from Wauwatosa’s State Street reconstructed project. Rather than letting them go to waste, each lamppost was refitted with energy-efficient LED bulbs to provide safe, reliable lighting while conserving energy.
- Native plantings support pollinators and reduce the need for irrigation or chemicals.
Firefly Grove Park is more than a green space—it’s a living classroom and a community beacon. Funded through hotel tourism taxes and private donations, not local property taxes, the park reflects Wauwatosa’s vision for accessible, art-infused, and environmentally conscious public spaces. Whether you’re walking the trails, riding the bike pump tracks, or just marveling at Mama Rosa’s recycled majesty, Firefly Grove invites visitors to reimagine parks in a way that’s both joyful and forward thinking.
Placed by members of the
