Green Hills Preserve

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Mohnton, PA
Green Hills Preserve

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Green Hills Preserve is situated on 201 acres of gently rolling agricultural fields, woodlands, and wetlands. Learn more at www.natlands.org.

See our website for more information including our history, a trail map, and hours of operation. This expanse of rolling grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands was once destined to be paved. A developer had planned to build the “The Villages of Green Hills,” a 600+ house subdivision that would have left little green in these hills. When the developer’s fortunes changed, conserving the property was suddenly a possibility. After more than two years working to piece together critical funding from ten different sources, we were able to purchase the property, establishing Green Hills as Natural Lands’ first preserve in Berks County. Green Hills Preserve is owned and managed by non-profit conservation organization Natural Lands.

11/05/2026

The late-season meadow still has heaps of interest for those who go looking! Any guesses as to what bird could have been nestled down into this thumb-sized nest?

📸: Rachel Rhodes

10/22/2026

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

📸: Vince Pellegrini

10/15/2026

It's that oh-so special time of year again...time to leave the leaves! Really, the entire food chain benefits from leaf litter come winter. Fallen leaves provide vital habitat to overwintering insects, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Leaf litter also makes for wonderful nesting material and insulation for our den-dwellers like groundhogs. Then, of course, our larger mammals such as foxes and coyotes still need to hunt, and where are many of their go-to meals hiding out? You guessed it, the leaves!

Help a firefly make it to summer. Feed a fox. Do it for the salamanders.

Even if you live in a small space, leaf litter can be fastened to containers, window boxes, and raised garden beds with chicken wire. It's just one of those things where every little bit helps.

Happy fall, all!

P.S. Don't feel too guilty if you still need to mow some...leaves become excellent dirt!

📸: Image designed by hand and in-house by Brittni Hribar, Senior Graphic Designer

10/07/2026

Alert: Deer management season is underway. Controlled hunting of white-tailed deer protects the ecological balance of our nature preserves. Only Natural Lands permit-holders may hunt the preserves.

Natural Lands has operated our controlled hunting program safely for decades. Hunters must apply to participate in the program, complete regular training and proficiency testing, and comply with strict safety protocols.

Preserve visitation and hunting do overlap, though our hunters are generally more active at dawn and dusk and they avoid hunting near hiking trails (as hikers often scare away deer). Some visitors chose to wear blaze orange during their visits. As always, dogs must be kept on leash and stay on trails.

You can learn more about our controlled hunting practice here: natlands.org/hunting

09/25/2026

American persimmons are absolutely beloved by our native wildlife! Skunks, foxes, black bears, turkeys, woodpeckers...all these critters (and many more) enjoy this fall fruit.

That’s why we kindly ask all our visitors not to forage. The wild fruits (and other foods) of our preserves belong to the wildlife who call our properties home.

State parks, however, do allow foraging for those who are interested.

📸: Rachel Rhodes

09/18/2026

The owls have some competition...this might be one of the most photogenic raptors we’ve ever seen 😍

📸: Red-tailed hawk by Bill Moses

09/11/2026

Meadows hold interest throughout the year, but they definitely have a moment in fall! Blooming goldenrod, ironweed, rudbeckia, and other perennials provide important late-season nectar for our pollinators, some of which are preparing to migrate, currently migrating, or otherwise prepping for the winter ahead.

But also...meadows in fall are just so gosh-darn pretty.

📸: Jim Moffett

09/04/2026

Catch bugs! Climb trees! Flip rocks! No, these are not new family-friendly curses. They're simple things anyone and everyone can do with their kids to keep them engaged in the outdoors amidst the chaos of the back-to-school season. And let's be honest...you could probably benefit from a little extra time outdoors, too.

Other fun nature-play ideas include:

🗺️ Treasure hunting. Hide a natural treasure, then make a map showing where to find it.

🧚‍♀️ Crafting a magical residence. Fairy house, gnome home, or toad abode, make a tiny house for the other residents of your yard...real or fiction!

⛵️ Building a natural boat. Is it a pirate ship? Vikings? Make two (or more) and race them down a stream.

🪵 Constructing something together. A swing, a shelter, or a simple hammock, it doesn’t need to be grand.

🛶 Kayaking. A classic!

Bonus tip: Just be present. Whether it's the playground after school or the sidelines of a soccer field, nature can be found almost anywhere by those who go looking for it.

📸: Kate Rash, Taproot Photography

08/25/2026

What the fox? Yep, it's true... research suggests foxes decrease the spread of Lyme Disease. Because of the presence of fox populations, small mammals like mice are more likely to hide away and less likely to carry around ticks. This reduces the rate at which ticks become infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

📸: James Moffett

08/18/2026

Enjoy the view! Protected open space is a defining characteristic of our region. (Of course, more than pretty places, protected landscapes offer essential services like absorbing flood waters, filtering drinking water, sequestering carbon, cooling and cleaning the air, and much more.)

📸: Mae Axelrod

Address

553 Gunhart Road
Mohnton, PA
19540

Telephone

+16103535587

Website

https://natlands.org/green-hills-preserve/

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