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. 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 Tanagers, Hermit Thrush and Rose breasted Grosbeak benefit from the preserve’s connection with other protected conservation lands.
Threats
The forest has been fragmented by residential development and compromised by a lack of fire. Gypsy moth and deer have also impacted the area’s natural habitat.
Milestones
The Nature Conservancy acquired the Goeringer Preserve in 2012 and manages the land to maintain a healthy forest canopy. The Conservancy also continues to look for opportunities to expand the corridor of protected conservation lands.
