The area we call the Lehigh Prairie is about 10 acres, located along the southeastern corner of the quarry lake. It is open grassland in some places, along with a number of savanna-like sections. It ranges from dry scrubby grass to wet meadow, with an intermittent stream, a swath of lush boggy land that remains wet long after a rain, and numerous copses of trees.
The area that is now the Lehigh Prairie was a farmstead during the first half of the 20th century, with a house, a barn, a number of outbuildings, fences, and pens. The land was likely used for livestock, and probably for row crops. When the farmstead was purchased by the Lehigh Portland Cement Company in the 1950s, the land was largely abandoned and unmanaged, with the resulting vegetation becoming predominantly cool-seasons grasses, with invasive trees, shrubs, and weeds taking hold.
Our hope is that the Lehigh Prairie can be restored, with invasive species removed or controlled, and native grasses and wildflowers nurtured into a diverse and healthy native prairie environment.