Places We Protect

Florence Shelly Preserve

Pennsylvania

A hummingbird flies next to a purple flower.
Hummingbird A ruby-throated hummingbird pollinates a flower. © Shutterstock
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A curiosity about science and dedication to conserving nature led to the establishment of our Florence Shelly Preserve.

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Overview

Description

The Florence Shelly Preserve boasts fields, woodlands, a stream and a glacial pond surrounded by a floating bog. The former owner of the property, Florence Shelly, spearheaded its protection by assembling a team of citizen naturalists and volunteer professors from SUNY Binghamton to take an inventory. They found a lot of biological diversity, including a rare red alga, and insectivorous sundew and pitcher plants.

Threats

Over browsing by deer pathogens such as hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer. Invasion by non-native invasive plants.

Milestones

The Shelley family donated the property to TNC in the early 1980s. TNC’s acquisition of nearby Plew's Swamp in the late 1990s completed the preserve.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Highlights

Rare red alga, insectivorous sundew and pitcher plants, black bears, otters, hummingbirds and great-horned owls

Size

380 acres

Explore our work in this region

Guide sheets for the trail are available at the trailhead just off Stack Road. An easy access boardwalk begins near the parking lot on Little Ireland Road and meanders through the hemlock forest to a lookout over the marsh.

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Help TNC and partners sustain a vibrant future for the communities and wildlife that share Pennsylvania’s diverse landscape.

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