“Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper
of God.”
~
Ralph Waldo Emerson
~ 1803-1882
Illuminated
by the setting sun, flowering grasses reach up to almost touch heaven in the
soft silence of a beautiful summer evening in late August during the golden
hour at the rooftop observation area of Trexler Environmental Center.
Located
in the Central Range of Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania,
the center is at one of the preserve’s highest elevations and one of the spots
that offer spectacular views at the 1,100 acre preserve.
Solar
panels provide a significant portion of the energy needs of the building.
When
the late General Harry Clay Trexler (1854-1933) established the preserve in the
early 1900s, he did it to save the American bison, elk and white-tailed deer
from extinction and assure the species’ survival.
A
conservationist along the lines of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, General
Trexler understood the importance of nature and preserving wildlife in its
natural habitat.
A
successful businessman who amassed a fortune in the timber and cement
industries and founded the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, General
Trexler began purchasing small farms in the low hills of Lehigh County in 1906.
By 1913, he had transported eight bison and 20 Virginia white-tailed deer to
the preserve. The elk followed soon after.
When
General Trexler died in 1933, he bequeathed the property to the residents of
Lehigh County. Today, the Trexler Nature Preserve is open to the public for
passive recreation and nature watching.
