Penny’s Nature Preserve: Where a Dog Can Be a Dog

We continue our look at the ways people have protected and conserved land dear to them on the Blue Hill Peninsula. How their actions have lead them to seek out Blue Hill Heritage Trust, and in doing so will hold these spaces in perpetuity as both wildlife habitat and development buffers to maintain some of the aesthetic that is iconic to the area.
Today we will hear from Rich Storck and his dedication to the creation of a trail system which celebrates the relationships many of us have with our dogs as hiking companions.

One of the Trust’s most visited trail systems in Blue Hill, beside the mountain, is that of Peter’s Brook & Penny’s Preserve located off of the East Blue Hill Road. These trail systems, made up of gifts and easements going back as early as 2005, encompasses much of Peter’s Brook leading down to Peter’s Cove, Albion Meadow and a retired granite quarry. Their trails cross over from one bordering property to the next with only a few signs stating as such. With a variety of options (loops, bridges, a viewing platform, and connector trails) it is possible to create unique daily adventures, multiple days in a row. Popular year-round, Peter’s Brook & Penny’s Preserve have an impressive local following, especially after heavy rainfalls when the water in the brook can flow higher and faster.

The following is Rich Storck’s personal account of his relationship with the land that would eventually be known as Penny’s Nature Preserve. How he shape its trail system, and help guide how the property is used today.

Richard Storck- Summer 2024

During the summer, I am at Acadia National Park almost every week, either climbing Cadillac or biking the Park Loop Road. I have always been inspired by Dorr’s and Rockefeller’s gifts to the nation…

In 1998, Blue Hill Heritage Trust was raising funds to acquire land in Blue Hill. At that time, I had the opportunity to meet with Peter Clapp and Lorenzo Mitchell, two founding members of BHHT. I was impressed with the Trust’s vision, hard work, and what they had accomplished to date. Also, with the fact that they were a local organization with a vested interest specifically on the Blue Hill Peninsula.

But the story of Penny’s Nature Preserve starts a few years earlier when I first came to Blue Hill in 1996. I would walk up to the falls on Peter’s Brook, the trail local residence used at the time was overgrown. I started cutting/clearing a trail further along the brook, all the while discovering the beauty of the woods. Years later, 103 acres came up for sale and included the brook. I was not in
Blue Hill but decided to buy it sight unseen, not knowing what the rest of the acreage consisted of.

The following summer I started bushwhacking the property. To my surprise, it included the quarry, half of Albion Meadow, incredible lichen/moss areas, glacial eratics, and beauty everywhere. Over a period of 15 summers, I cut in 3 miles of trails, connecting the most scenic places. It first involved roughing out a trail with a machete. Then carrying a chainsaw back and forth to clear the trail, and finally painting blazes. All the time with my yellow lab, Penny, at my side…she loved the woods.

My wife, Aletha, helped with spring clean-up every year, and after completing the trail system, we decided it was time to share Penny’s Nature Preserve with everyone. We wanted it to be a place where dogs could be off leash…Or, as we like to say, “where a dog can be a dog”.

We donated Penny’s Nature Preserve to BHHT in 2018. In the years since, we have continued to support BHHT and have been pleased with what they have been able to accomplish.

Given that BHHT has so many ongoing responsibilities, we have been delighted with how they have continued to improve Penny’s Nature Preserve and the adjacent Peter’s Brook Trails, making it more user friendly and enjoyable for all. They have built a parking lot, installed trail signage, and taken care of spring clean-up every year. They also built a bridge over the brook on the west side of the property and have recently finished another bridge on the east side of the property and re-routed the trail to a dryer location.