The Wildlands Conservancy
Mission: To protect, preserve and restore the physical and biological health of our rivers and streams.

Rivers Program
here can be no limit to the value placed on our waterways. Our rivers and streams provide us with economic benefits such as clean water for drinking; irrigation and industrial use; a place for recreational activities such as fishing, boating and swimming; and the aesthetic benefit of making urban areas feel like Country. Clean waterways are essential in making our communities desirable places to live, work and play. For 27 years the Wildlands Conservancy has been focusing on the Lehigh River and its watershed. They continue to focus on this important area with their ' Lehigh River Watershed Initiative'.

The Lehigh River
he Lehigh River watershed encompasses 1,360 square miles located in nine counties (Berks, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Schuylkill and Wayne) in eastern Pennsylvania. The river is approximately 107 miles in length and is a tributary of the Delaware River with fifteen major tributaries of its own. The main stem of the river is classified, in Chapter 93 of the Pennsylvania Water Quality Standards, as a High Quality-Cold Water Fishery (HQ-CWF) from basin, source to the PA 903 bridge (Jim Thorpe), a Trout-Stock Fishery (TSF) on the main stem from the PA 903 bridge to the Allentown Dam, and a Warm Water Fishery (WWF) from the Allentown Dam to confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers in Easton. The Lehigh River is steeped in a rich history of geology, ecology, human habitation and industrial heritage. A major tributary of the Delaware River, the Lehigh is 103 miles long and drains a 1,360 square mile area.

he Lehigh River is a remarkable river of contrasts. It is, in fact, an important part of our lives; in ways we either don't realize or may have forgotten.