“When you think of Gettysburg, your first thought is probably about the battle that put us on the map,” said Stephanie Lightner, Executive Director of the Gettysburg Nature Alliance in a recent interview. “But people often overlook that we also have a beautiful place from the habitat standpoint. Our mission is to preserve that.”
Founded in 2019, the Alliance’s mission is the education, preservation, and rehabilitation of Gettysburg’s habitat and heritage. The Alliance operates the Gettysburg Heritage Center, offers educational programs about the habitat and its relevance beyond the local area, and runs a Learning Barn near the historic Sachs Bridge.
“There are things we take for granted that might not be here for future generations if we don’t take care of things,” said Lightner. “Our goal is to educate people and get them out into nature, learning history, where it took place, and the value of it.”
Working hand in hand with the Nature Alliance, the Heritage Center preserves the historical and heritage side of Gettysburg. The Heritage Center Museum includes many relics, including witness trees that people can crawl through and count the rings on. The museum has incorporated pieces of the Sycamore tree that stood on Baltimore Street when Lincoln passed by to give his address.
“The prior owner of the museum was involved with the paper industry and dealt with textbooks,” said Lightner. “He was concerned with the devastation of forests, both locally and overseas, that resulted from using paper. The more we worked for him, the more we heard about his mission. We realized we could do something here locally. So, in 2019, we started the Heritage Center as a non-profit organization.”
“What draws me to the mission is to look at it from a different perspective. Adams County is rich in history. I want future generations – including my kids and grandkids — to come here and experience it. I want us to have clean waters so they can go fishing, play in the streams, and experience everything I did as a kid.”
Collaborating with partnerships like The American Chestnut Foundation and New Leaf Paper Inc. has helped bring the alliance’s mission to a larger audience. The American Chestnut Foundation was looking for areas to bring back the chestnut trees after the blight in 1939 wiped them all out on the eastern seaboard. “Their mission was regenerating chestnut trees for the future generation, which ties in with our education portion,” said Lightner. ”We work closely with them to create a new curriculum that teachers here can use in their schools. It ties in with the heritage of the area. The chestnut tree built America and was gone. Why and how did it happen? And can we bring it back for future generations? We have trained teachers about it.”
How did it all tie together? “The Chestnut Foundation was looking for a place of growth for their trees, and we have a location – a barn where they planted and monitored some trees. We put other native species with them to make them more diverse. Local schools, like the Gettysburg Area Middle School, use the new curriculum and are helping grow chestnut trees.” Lightner explained. “The New Leaf Paper Inc is using100% recycled materials – no trees are destroyed or used – and they are growing tremendously. This company is working to lower the carbon footprint, be more sustainable, and not destroy natural resources. We have partnered with them, and they have helped us to send a bigger message, and we look forward to working with them in the future.”
“It took until last year for us to get our footing and do some impactful things as we opened right on the eve of COVID. We make several donations for community events to support them, like Memorial Day festival and Christmas festivals. From the nature side, we have new things lined up this year, like community cleaning programs, yoga, and meditation in nature in our barn for wellness – all open in the community. The members can participate free of charge, and other participants have a minimal fee.”
So, what does Lightner have to say to people inspired to work in similar fields? “I learned to try to look at things from a new perspective. Don’t be afraid to try and change things by taking a step back. What is valuable and meaningful to you? Believe in what you are doing. Being here is meaningful to me because our team believes in what we do, and everyone gives 110% to our organization.”
“On June 29, the alliance will partner with Trout Unlimited for a free event – people will learn how to fly ties for fishing, cast for fly fishing, nature walks, stream cleaning, and participate in invasive species walks. It will be an open house called Go Fish Gettysburg.” Lightner mentioned.
In the summer, a volunteer program will be up and running, and there will be more information about it soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for it. For more information, visit their website: https://www.gettysburgnature.org/. Feel free to contact them via email (info@gettysburgnature.org) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gettysburgnature). They would love to hear from you!
Featured image: the Alliance’s Learning Barn.
Aahana Rajbhandari, intern, is a Sophomore at Gettysburg College from Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a Political Science major with a minor in English Writing. She works as a writer and co-editor for the Opinions section of the college newspaper, the Gettysburgian, and is a campus ambassador for the Women’s Network. Aahana is an avid reader and enjoys writing in her free time.