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Lehigh Gap Nature
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In 2002, the Lehigh Gap Nature Center purchased over 750 acres on the Kittatinny Ridge along the Lehigh River and in Lehigh Gap in eastern Pennsylvania. Much of the land was degraded by industrial pollution and is being restored using native, warm-season (prairie) grasses. The progress of the project can be viewed in these images.
Other parts were a productive habitat already, including ponds, bottomland wetlands, a 2.5 mile riparian zone, forested slopes, cliffs, and savanna at the higher elevations. The refuge is valuable habitat for resident species, and a corridor and stopover site for migratory species, especially raptors and Neotropical songbirds. To appreciate the diversity of the wildlife at the refuge, review our list of wildlife sightings.
The refuge serves as wildlife habitat and the site for much of our wildlife research, carried out by Center staff and volunteers, and in conjunction with local colleges and universities. It also serves as our outdoor classroom to support our educational program. All of this is discussed in detail in our Master Site Plan.
Public access for hiking and wildlife watching and photography is permitted. More information is available in our Trail and Access Guide.
The refuge occupies a 2.5 mile space on the Kittatinny between the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Trail, which parallel each other, then intersect at Lehigh Gap near the Wildlife Center’s Osprey House.
Updates:
For more information on the Wildlife Refuge, its creation and its
status, review the collection of articles from the Wildlife Activist available
on this page.
