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.

08/28/2026

Eastern brook trout are sensitive creatures. These native fish are the only members of the salmon family indigenous to Pennsylvania, and they cannot survive without clean, cold water. In fact, scientists consider them a bellwether species, meaning that they reflect the health of the watersheds they inhabit.

Sadly, wild brook trout populations are in decline due to habitat loss from development, elevated water temperatures, and pollution.

This particular trout was found in a creek that runs through our nearly 4,000-acre Bear Creek Preserve in Luzerne County, PA. Fortunately, this creek is still home to a thriving population of eastern brook trout.

Please note: This fish was caught and released by a professional as part of a (successful) grant submission to do water quality monitoring on the creek.

📸: Tyler Marino

08/10/2026

The American pelecinid wasp is a harmless creature, despite its alarming appearance! Males are extremely rare, so females reproduce through parthenogenesis--laying unfertilized eggs that develop directly into clones or new female generations.

📸: Brooke Szmodis

08/03/2026

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.

📸: Kristina Englert

07/27/2026

Ghost pipes (Monotropa uniflora) are not mushrooms. They are actually parasitic flowering plants. Because they lack chlorophyll, they get their nutrients by tapping into an underground network of mycorrhizal fungi attached to tree roots.

📸: Brooke Szmodis

07/24/2026

There is a myth that bumblebees "shouldn't be able to fly." The misconception arose in the 1930s when an aerodynamicist mistakenly applied fixed-wing airplane equations to the insects, failing to account for their rapid, twisting wing movements. Instead of simply flapping up and down, bumblebees beat their wings in a fast, figure-eight motion. This rapid movement (up to 240 times per second) creates tiny, low-pressure air vortexes (miniature hurricanes) above their wings that act as a suction, generating enough lift to keep their heavy bodies airborne.

📸: Preston Wilson

07/20/2026

These forests offer shelter from the summer sun. Aren't we lucky?

📸: Brooke Szmodis

07/17/2026

Can you tell the difference between a Viceroy (left) and a Monarch (right) butterfly? Viceroy butterflies have a distinct black line running horizontally across the lower hind wings, while Monarchs do not. Monarchs are generally larger, with a wingspan of about 3.5 to 4 inches, whereas Viceroys are smaller, typically 2.6 to 3 inches. Monarchs have thicker black veins on their wing patterns.

📸: Bill Moses

07/13/2026

What color words would you use to describe this newt? Paprika? Tangerine? Persimmon?

📸: Brooke Szmodis

07/07/2026

Taking a moment to stop and appreciate the beauty and complexity of moss can be a real BALL...get it? Because it's a ball of...we'll see ourselves out.

📸: Brooke Szmodis

Note: Brooke herself had nothing to do with the writing of this terrible joke.

06/15/2026

Mountain laurel is not just the PA state shrub... it's also an important food source for caterpillars and other insects that form the foundation of the food web on which we all rely.

📸: Abigail Harris

Address

47 Rabbit Run Lane
Bear Creek Village, PA
18702

Telephone

(610) 353-5587

Website

https://natlands.org/bear-creek-preserve/

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