Lehigh Gap Nature Center

Nestled within the Kittatinny Ridge alongside the Lehigh River, LGNC is a member- supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental education center and wildlife refuge. Our mission is to improve the quality of life of present and future generations by protecting the wildlife and enhancing the habitats of our Refuge, the neighboring Kittatinny Ridge, and the Lehigh River Watershed through conservation, education, research, and outdoor recreation. LGNC is the first and only environmental education center in the U.S. created from a Superfund site. Just two decades ago, much of the mountainside in our surrounding area was barren and lifeless, scarred by decades of industrial pollution. LGNC’s efforts to revegetate several hundred acres of this former ‘moonscape’ have not only successfully revitalized the mountain, they have also established a community resource that is now enjoyed by thousands of visitors annually. Today, the restored site is home a 756-acre wildlife refuge featuring hundreds of native species, 13 miles of trails, and endless opportunities for learning, ecological research, and outdoor recreation. We believe that diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are critical to sustaining the conservation movement. We recognize that, in order to be equitable and sustainable, conservation must represent all people – especially those who, due to deeply rooted systemic barriers, have been excluded from the conservation conversation and disproportionately subjected to environmental injustice. We therefore commit to fostering inclusion by listening to the needs of our constituents to best understand community priorities, diversifying conservation leadership, and connecting people of all backgrounds with nature and the outdoors to broaden support for conservation.