Habitat Preservation, Conservation and Advocacy Efforts

Our habitat work includes the creation and management of HUNDREDS of nesting boxes across the Lehigh Valley. We have successfully restored local Purple Martin breeding colonies, created new and preserved old Chimney Swift nesting towers, and we manage an extensive trails system of boxes along Lehigh Valley trails. 

Habitat Preservation

Our multi-species Nest Box Trail System includes the following Lehigh Valley parks and natural areas:

Nest Box Monitoring

Nest Box Monitoring

    • Lenape Trail in the Little Lehigh Parkway at the Trout Nursery

    • Archibald Johnston Conservation Area in Bethlehem

    • Kalmbach Memorial Park in Macungie

    • Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation Trail

    • Adam Sabatine Memorial Trail at Trexler Park

    • Minsi Lake Bluebird Trail

    • Louise Moore Park Bluebird Trail

Purple Martin nesting towers at historic Lehigh Valley nesting locations, successfully reintroducing local breeding that had been abandoned decades ago

Chimney Swift tower design, creation, and management

Partnered to save a historic 40-foot high, 4 foot chimney in Bethlehem that supports a breeding population and thousands of chimney swifts during migration

Habitat preservation includes trash and invasive plant removal as well as native plant restoration to support nest box locations

Beach clean-up in New Jersey to support nest sites of Piping Plovers

Read more about our efforts in our newsletter archives.

Purple Martin Nesting Tower Installation

Purple Martin Nesting Tower Installation

 

Conservation and Advocacy

We’re active in the Window Collision and Lights Out issues.

SOLID AIR Invisible Killer: Saving Billions of Birds from Windows  Book Cover

Dr Klem's book, SOLID AIR, describes the cause and breadth of bird window collisions and how to solve it.

Environmental Activism in local issues: Members serve on watershed boards, write letters to the local newspapers, contact legislators, and attend municipal meetings to ensure that environmental issues are discussed and considered.

A portion of our budget is allocated to various local and state conservation efforts.

Advocated for bird-safe alternatives to Glue Traps to avoid Bird Bycatch for addressing Spotted Lanternflies. 

 

Bird Record Surveys

Lehigh Valley Audubon Society members have been documenting our local birds and details of our local birding sites for over ninety years. Our records include monitoring and tracking migration dates, nesting, and species abundance and distribution. We published the results in a comprehensive book available on Amazon, Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity, and we are working on a new edition.

 

Read How to Save Wildlife from Spotted Lanternfly Glue Traps

Downy Woodpecker in LVAS Nest Box

Photo of Downy Woodpecker in LVAS Nest Box

Chimney Swift nest in LVAS Tower

Photo of Chimney Swift nest in LVAS Tower