Upcoming events at LGNC:
Join us for a discussion of Jack Sanders’ “The Secrets of Wildflowers”!
About the Cabin Fever Book Club:
The Cabin Fever Book Club meets once a month during the fall and winter months to discuss fascinating books on such topics as ecology, environmental history, and environmentalism. The 2024-25 Cabin Fever Book Club meetings will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon on the dates listed below! Books will be available at the Palmerton and Slatington libraries, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and on Amazon.com (at a cost). Please contact us at mail@lgnc.org if you have any questions, or if you would like to lead a discussion!
2024-2025 Cabin Fever Book Club Reading List:
Description: You are invited to explore the trails at Lehigh Gap Nature Center on a guided hike! Join LGNC Caretaker Greg for a moderate level guided hike on LGNC trails. This month, we will be hiking multiple trails within the Lehigh Gap Refuge, totaling about 6 miles. We will be hiking on trails including the LNE Trail, D&L Trail, and more. Learn more about these trails at this link: Trail Map and Guides | Lehigh Gap Nature Center (lgnc.org)
PLEASE NOTE: This moderate hike is suitable for experienced hikers. We will meet at LGNC’s Osprey House at 8:00am. Please wear hiking boots and dress for the weather. Participants are encouraged to pack water and snacks. Microspikes are not needed or required on our trails, but hikers are welcome to pack them just in case. This hike is still likely to happen if there is snow, but emails will be sent the day before if the hike is cancelled due to forecasted weather or overly icy conditions.
Registration: Please register through Zeffy at this link!
Fee: LGNC members: FREE | Non-members: $5 per person
To become a member, please visit our Square store at this link!
Questions? Contact us at mail@lgnc.org or 610-760-8889.
Looking for a group to run our trails with after work? Look no further!
Starting March 4th, lace up your running shoes and meet at Lehigh Gap Nature Center on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm. Each run will explore different trails and vary in distance each time, but will average about 4-8 miles. It is free to join and there is no registration required.
Please meet in the parking lot for the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Osprey House, located at 8844 Paint Mill Road in Slatington.
Questions? Email Michael Martinez at mfmmd@ptd.net for more information.
LGNC’s Ecology Club is open to children ages 9 and older. Join us throughout the year for fun, hands-on nature adventures at the Osprey House and the Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge.
Participation is FREE to all LGNC members and their families! Not a member? Click here to find out how to join today!
Email riley.davenport@lgnc.org if you are interested in attending and have any questions!
2024-2025 Dates:
September 4
October 2
(November Ecology Club cancelled – attending conference)
December 4
January 8
February 5
March 5
April 2
May 7
June 4
Want to learn more about solar in your community? Join PennEnvironment and Lehigh Gap Nature Center on Thursday, March 6th at 11am for a tour of the Nature Center’s rooftop solar array. Click here to RSVP!
Looking for a group to run our trails with after work? Look no further!
Starting March 4th, lace up your running shoes and meet at Lehigh Gap Nature Center on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm. Each run will explore different trails and vary in distance each time, but will average about 4-8 miles. It is free to join and there is no registration required.
Please meet in the parking lot for the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Osprey House, located at 8844 Paint Mill Road in Slatington.
Questions? Email Michael Martinez at mfmmd@ptd.net for more information.
Join us for a discussion of John Vaillant’s “Fire Weather”!
About the Cabin Fever Book Club:
The Cabin Fever Book Club meets once a month during the fall and winter months to discuss fascinating books on such topics as ecology, environmental history, and environmentalism. The 2024-25 Cabin Fever Book Club meetings will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon on the dates listed below! Books will be available at the Palmerton and Slatington libraries, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and on Amazon.com (at a cost). Please contact us at mail@lgnc.org if you have any questions, or if you would like to lead a discussion!
2024-2025 Cabin Fever Book Club Reading List:
“Investigating the Food Web at Lehigh Gap”
Description: Join us in person at Lehigh Gap Nature Center for a Speaker Series presentation from Jeff Stratford and Ned Fetcher from Wilkes University. In this month’s program “Investigating the Food Web at Lehigh Gap” Jeff and Ned will be discussing research that has taken place here at the Gap – Over ten years ago, a team of faculty and students from Wilkes University used stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to investigate the food web of the restored grassland at LGNC. They showed that both warm season grasses and herbaceous plants contributed to the food web along with a smaller but significant contribution from the detritus. Since that time, the vegetation at LGNC has changed, with more woody plants colonizing the site. How have these changes affected the larger ecosystem? In the summer of 2024, the Wilkes University team returned to the site and repeated the study. What changes have occurred? This talk will discuss the major findings and some of the surprises they found.
Registration: Please register through Zeffy at this link!
Fee: LGNC members: FREE | Non-members: Suggested donation of $5 per person
To become a member, please visit our Square store at this link!
Questions? Contact us at mail@lgnc.org or 610-760-8889.
Please join us on March 22-28 for the LGNC Nature in Art Show at Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington, PA! The Art Show is free for the public to attend, and no registration is required.
Click here to register your artwork for the Art Show! The deadline to submit is February 27th
- Thursday, March 20 – Drop off work and payment at LGNC 4:30-6:30pm
- Friday March 21 – Drop off work and payment at LGNC 10:30am-1:00pm
- Saturday, March 22 – Opening Reception 4:00-5:00pm
- Saturday, March 22 – March 28 – Show from 10:00am – 4:00pm
- Friday March 28 – artist pick up and member clean up 4:00-5:00pm (ID checked for release of artwork)
Registration: Artists may register now through Thursday February 27 at midnight. No late entries will be accepted.
- LGNC Members– $5 entry fee for each piece, up to 4 per person
- Non members – $10 entry fee for each piece, up to 4 per person
- *Make checks payable to Lehigh Gap Nature Center
- *Please drop off your artwork on March 20 or 8th with your registration payment included as cash or check.
Location of Art Show:
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
8844 Paint Mill Road
Slatington, PA 18080
Looking for a group to run our trails with after work? Look no further!
Starting March 4th, lace up your running shoes and meet at Lehigh Gap Nature Center on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm. Each run will explore different trails and vary in distance each time, but will average about 4-8 miles. It is free to join and there is no registration required.
Please meet in the parking lot for the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Osprey House, located at 8844 Paint Mill Road in Slatington.
Questions? Email Michael Martinez at mfmmd@ptd.net for more information.
Donate or Join Today!
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Landscaping for Communities & Wildlife
Click here to visit the Lehigh Valley Native Plant Directory and see our downloadable conservation landscaping resources below!
News and Current Events:
Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch
The 64th Autumn Hawk Count at Bake Oven Knob is off to a flying start! Join as at the hawk watch daily through the last Friday in November! Interested in volunteering? Email us at mail@lgnc.org to learn more!
We send a huge thanks to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for sponsoring this year’s count.
The Neffs National Bank EITC
We are extremely grateful for a generous $20,000 donation from The Neffs National Bank in support of LGNC’s educational outreach to area schools! Donations such as these, made through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, allow LGNC to make nature and science accessible to students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to benefit from environmental education. Thank you!
Remembering Elissa Garofalo
At LGNC, we mourn the passing of one of our most important, long-time partners, Elissa Garofalo. When we began planning the Lehigh Gap Restoration Project in 2002, Elissa directed the Carbon County office of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and became an early supporter, advisor, and friend. It was Elissa who nominated LGNC and the D&L Corridor for the Community Conservation Partnership Award from the U.S. Department of Interior, which we received in 2006. She also led the Lehigh Valley Greenways partnership in its early years, and we served on its steering committee. Later, she became Executive Director at the D&L Corridor when Allen Sachse retired. She always remained an important partner, a great colleague, and a friend. Perhaps Peter Kern said it best:
“Elissa was a unique Carbon County asset and a presence that will be missed. I can’t say enough about her contributions. She was pragmatic and firm in her convictions. I know I am not alone in recognizing her importance. May she rest in peace knowing that she made a difference.”
LGNC Receives Solar Award!
Lehigh Valley organizations receive Lodestar Award for solar energy leadership
On October 27, 2022, the Pennsylvania Solar Center presented regional companies and organizations with the prestigious Lodestar Award, a distinction given to Pennsylvania entities who are leading the way investing in clean and renewable solar energy. Awardees were proud to accept the award at a virtual awards ceremony, and they included:
- Lehigh Gap Nature Center
- Bethlehem Area School District
- Black River Farms
- Crayola
- Evoke Solar
- Gas & Air Systems
- TIW Technology Inc.
LGNC is honored to receive the Lodestar Award recognizing our organization’s green building, the Osprey House. Since it was installed in 2018, LGNC’s 65-panel solar system has not only reduced our carbon footprint, but it has also showcased the benefits of solar energy to thousands of students and others who have visited our wildlife refuge. We are grateful for the Pennsylvania Solar Center’s support and for its commitment to a sustainable energy future in Pennsylvania.
Call for Volunteers
Lehigh Gap Nature Center is looking for volunteers to help with our information desk, our education programming, and the Bake Oven Knob Hawk Count!
• Are you interested in meeting new people and helping visitors who are looking to make the most out of their visit to LGNC? Our Information Specialist volunteers play an important role in keeping our building open daily year-round!
Commitment: 3 to 3.5-hour shifts available year round during business hours
Responsibilities: Staffing the Osprey House front desk; greeting and helping visitors; selling merchandise
• Would you love to teach and engage young people in environmental science? Our Education Team volunteers assist the staff during field trips when nearby schools visit the Nature Center in the fall and spring. Their help allows us to continue inspiring students with our story and connecting them to the outdoors.
Commitment: 2-4 hours per field trip September-November and March-June
Responsibilities: Leading field trip stations for students in grades pre-k through high school
• Have you ever wanted to count migrating birds of prey while enjoying beautiful views? For over 60 years, our Hawk Count volunteers have counted migrating birds that fly past Bake Oven Knob in the late summer and fall. The data collected during these counts are entered into an international research database.
Commitment: 4 to 8-hour shifts available Fridays and Saturdays August-November
Responsibilities: Counting migrating birds and recording data
For all volunteer positions, LGNC will provide training, supplies, and a great experience! There is no obligation to volunteer on a regular basis. Only help out if it fits your schedule.
Our volunteers play a vital role in helping LGNC fulfill its mission. We are so grateful for their dedication, and we would love to welcome more volunteers into our organization!
Please email us at volunteering@lgnc.org or call us at 610-760-8889 if you are interested in learning more.
Exploring the Gap in Virtual Reality
Lehigh University, in partnership with the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, is pleased to announce the launch of The Lehigh Gap Story.
Click Here to launch the virtual tour!
Take a virtual hike with avatar bird Brownie to learn about the environmental changes that occurred in the Lehigh River Watershed in Pennsylvania during the past two centuries as a result of the zinc smelting plant operation at the Lehigh Gap.
The Story Mode takes about 15 minutes to complete. We would be grateful if you complete the Story Mode and in the last photosphere, click on the green arrow to take our brief survey to help us learn about your experience.
View the New Lehigh Valley Native Plant Directory
LGNC Online Learning Series
Here is the link to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/LGNC_YouTube
Be sure to like our videos and subscribe to our channel!!!
LGNC Restoration Mini Documentary
Michal Kubik Memorial Education Fund
