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Places We Protect

Harry and Mary Goeringer Preserve

Pennsylvania

Low angle view of a shallow, narrow creek flowing over large rocks and stones. The creek extends into the distance curving between grassy banks. Tall trees shade the creek in the foreground.
Wright Creek At the Harry and Mary Goeringer Preserve in Pennsylvania. © Pat McElhenny/TNC

Seasonal vernal pools and a dry oak heath forest warrant a visit to this preserve.

Overview

Description

About Current Ownership and Management: Today, Harry & Mary Goeringer Preserve is owned and managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC).

Named for Harry and Mary Goeringer, who established the surrounding community of Penn Lake Park in the late 1930s, this preserve was once used as a source of ice blocks that were exported to Philadelphia and was acquired by TNC in 2012 before its transfer to PGC.

The property connects with additional parcels owned by PGC, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Natural Lands, North Branch Land Trust and the Wildlands Conservancy to extend a corridor of protected lands from Nescopeck State Park all the way to 6,400 acres protected at Bear Creek.

The preserve hosts a globally rare, Pennsylvania endangered plant species. Interior forest birds and wide-ranging wildlife species such as scarlet tanager, hermit thrush and rose-breasted grosbeak benefit from the preserve’s connection with other protected conservation lands.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Location

White Haven, PA

Map with marker: Hybrid road and topographic map showing an orange pointer centered south-west of Wilkes Barre, PA.

Highlights

Hiking, birdwatching and photography. Seasonal hunting permitted under PA Game Commission regulations; no trapping allowed.

Size

390 acres

Explore our work in Pennsylvania

Views of Goeringer Preserve

With its unique vernal pools and the serene dry oak forest, the Goeringer Preserve provides habitat to a wide range of wildlife.

A light brown salamander sits on a pile of wet brown leaves.
A plant with yellow tubes and green leaves grows out of a river.
A black-and-white bird with a red chest sits on a branch.
A green fern with small red circles on its underside grows in a rocky area.
A light brown salamander sits on a pile of wet brown leaves.

Northern Spring Salamander: With its unique vernal pools and the serene dry oak forest, it’s no wonder salamanders find this preserve to be their perfect home. © Pat McElhenny/TNC

A plant with yellow tubes and green leaves grows out of a river.

Golden Clubs: Golden Clubs in full bloom along one of Pennsylvania's natural treasures, the mighty Lehigh River. © Pat McElhenny/TNC

A black-and-white bird with a red chest sits on a branch.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak: A male rose-breasted grosbeak in a tree surrounded by spring buds. © Daryl Burtnett/TNC

A green fern with small red circles on its underside grows in a rocky area.

Rock Polypody: Polypodium virginianum, commonly known as rock polypody, can be found growing on the rocks and tree roots at the preserve. © ba_mariame/iNaturalist

Explore Nature

Need more nature? Visit some of TNC's other preserves.

Find More Places We Protect

The Nature Conservancy owns nearly 1,500 preserves covering more than 2.5 million acres across all 50 states. These lands protect wildlife and natural systems, serve as living laboratories for innovative science and connect people to the natural world.

See the Complete Map