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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

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. TNC acquired the preserve in 2012 and manages the land to maintain a healthy forest canopy.

Today, the property connects with parcels owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 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

Hours

Daily, from dawn to dusk

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 pant 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 pant 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

Guide to iNaturalist

Join a community of scientists using our iNaturalist fact sheet.

Become A Community Scientist

We are creating a science database of all kinds of life—from lichens to ants, mushrooms to plants, birds to mammals and everything in between for our preserves in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

TNC's roots began with local citizens and scientists concerned about special places and species. That legacy continues today. Across our lands, we are utilizing iNaturalist—a digital platform that gives users an opportunity to share and discuss their findings.

Of our 14 preserve projects in iNaturalist, nine have observations recorded; help us increase that number and our understanding of the species—good and bad, native as well as invasive—that can be found on TNC lands across the state. This information can also help guide and inform our conservation staff's management and monitoring decisions.

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