Bear Creek Preserve

Bear Creek Preserve The 3,412-acre Bear Creek Preserve is a vast expanse of forests and steep stream valleys. Closed Mondays. Learn more at www.natlands.org.

Bear Creek Preserve is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. Bear Creek Preserve is a vast expanse of forests and steep stream valleys in the Lehigh River Watershed. Larger than many state parks, the preserve is a mosaic of diverse, thriving habitats and plant communities, including several rare species. The land provides vital habitat for native wildlife, including black bear, coyote,

Bald Eagle, and many species of migratory songbirds. Bear Creek Preserve is part of a larger landscape of protected lands and popular recreation areas, including state parks and gamelands, that spans more than 150,000 acres. Bear Creek Preserve is owned and managed by non-profit conservation organization Natural Lands.

Unlike the wood frog or spring peeper, which lay their eggs in ephemeral pools, the green frog can take multiple years t...
06/08/2026

Unlike the wood frog or spring peeper, which lay their eggs in ephemeral pools, the green frog can take multiple years to metamorphose from a tadpole into a frog. This is why green frog females often lay their eggs in permanent waters rather than temporary pools.

📸: Kristina Englert

A songbird like the Wood Thrush requires 10 to 15 times as much calcium to lay a clutch of eggs as a similar size mammal...
06/01/2026

A songbird like the Wood Thrush requires 10 to 15 times as much calcium to lay a clutch of eggs as a similar size mammal needs to nurture its young. That makes calcium-rich food supplements like snail shells crucial to successful breeding. These are rare in soils subject to acid rain, which may help explain patterns of population decline in the Wood Thrush.

📸: David Brandes

Mosses are ancient, non-vascular plants that first appeared 450 million years ago, acting as crucial pioneer species to ...
05/25/2026

Mosses are ancient, non-vascular plants that first appeared 450 million years ago, acting as crucial pioneer species to form ecosystems. It survives extreme temperatures and desiccation, functions as a massive carbon repository, and lacks roots, absorbing water directly through its leaves.

📸: Frank Burnside

Good morning and happy Monday!
05/18/2026

Good morning and happy Monday!

The three streams that run through Bear Creek Preserve—Shades Creek, Bear Creek, and Stony Run—are all classified as “hi...
05/11/2026

The three streams that run through Bear Creek Preserve—Shades Creek, Bear Creek, and Stony Run—are all classified as “high quality, cold water fisheries,” with crystal clear water and abundant native fish species. The quality of these waterways is due in large part to the many protected lands that surround Bear Creek Preserve. As tributaries to the river flow through intact natural areas, the plants and soils filter out contaminants and slow stormwater runoff. As a result, the water is cleaner and flooding is reduced, saving millions of dollars each year in water treatment and flood control measures.

Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) are popping up in wet areas of the preserve. This lovely spring native is not to be co...
05/06/2026

Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) are popping up in wet areas of the preserve. This lovely spring native is not to be confused with invasive lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), which grows in similar conditions and crowds out natives.

Who else thinks Barn Owls look a little like the Porgs from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"? May the Fourth be with you. 📸: S...
05/04/2026

Who else thinks Barn Owls look a little like the Porgs from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"? May the Fourth be with you.

📸: Steve Eisenhauer

“Don’t you know what that is? It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, yo...
04/27/2026

“Don’t you know what that is? It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
~ Mark Twain, "Tom Sawyer"

📸: Nicholas A. Tonelli

Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that typically fill with water during the rainy season and dry up in the summer. Thi...
04/20/2026

Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that typically fill with water during the rainy season and dry up in the summer. This unique seasonal cycle creates a habitat for a variety of species, particularly amphibians such as salamanders and frogs. These species rely on vernal pools for breeding and development, as the absence of fish in these pools allows amphibians to thrive without predation on their eggs and larvae.

📸: Joe Vinton

What spring ephemerals have you spotted so far this season?📸: Kirsten Keyes Myers
04/13/2026

What spring ephemerals have you spotted so far this season?

📸: Kirsten Keyes Myers

Address

47 Rabbit Run Lane
Bear Creek Village, PA
18702

Telephone

(610) 353-5587

Website

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