SLATINGTON, Pa. — As temperatures begin to drop across the Lehigh Valley and winter moves into the region, environmental officials are ready to draw residents out.

“When winter’s here, people want stuff to do – they want to get out of the house,” said Riley Davenport, education and outreach coordinator for Lehigh Gap Nature Center. “The speaker series is a nice, weekday evening event to just come out and hear about all the cool stuff that’s going on in the area.

“Definitely come check it out.”

For more than a decade, the center has been hosting an annual speaker series, aiming to educate and engage residents about the environment as well as share ways they can help improve and protect it. Starting this month, and running on select Thursdays through March, this year’s series includes officials from state and local agencies, as well as nonprofits.

“Our goal for the series is to provide quality educational programs focused on the topics of ecology, environmental history and environmental justice, as well as the history of the Lehigh Gap area,” said Chad Schwartz, the center’s executive director. “Past presenters have included professors, nonprofit partners, government officials and LGNC members.

“Although most speaker series programs are lectures, LGNC has also hosted panel presentations and roundtable discussions.”

This year’s line-up includes:

All sessions are scheduled for 7 p.m., and are free for members of the center. For non-members, each lecture costs $5. And, although open to all ages, many are geared more towards adults.
“A lot of them plan to talk about volunteer opportunities or research projects they’ve been working on,” Davenport said.

Each speaker will give a “behind-the-scenes look” at their organization, officials said, sharing local history, upcoming events, conservation initiatives, community-driven projects and more.

For example, Thursday’s session is an introduction to the Lehigh River Stocking Association, a nonprofit dedicated to the restoration and restocking of the Lehigh River. Gyory, board member and treasurer, “will discuss their history, and current efforts to restore and stock the great Lehigh River and how you can be a part of it,” according to the event description.

Davenport said officials recommend residents to register ahead of time, as the speaker series is popular and seats fill up quickly.

“All the registrations are open for all of them at the moment so RSVP ASAP,” she said. “They usually are pretty well attended. This past year, we had a lot of speaker series focused around our 20th anniversary, and those are pretty much like a full house.”

The only nature center in the U.S. situated on a Superfund site, the center this spring celebrated its 20th anniversary. As a nonprofit with a mission to enhance habitats and protect wildlife, the center promotes conservation through education, research and outdoor recreation for all.