Peggy Keck Reservation

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Features:

The Peggy Keck Reservation is a geological gem. The rocks here are among the oldest in the world; they are all that remain of mountains that have been eroded down through countless ages of exposure. The two major rock types found here are the light colored, coarse grained Andover granite and the darker, fine grained Salem diorite. Ten to twelve thousand years ago, the Wisconsin Glacier covered the Peggy Keck Reservation. The rocks and landforms here provide evidence of this glaciation. The moving glacier, carrying stones and debris, polished underlying rock, leaving behind striations that are still visible in some places. On the east side of the reservation, a path circles the steep, granite cliff . Suddenly the hiker is standing on the edge, looking down on the lush vegetation, oblivious of a state highway nearby. Hikers can also look for a small glacial moraine and kettle holes, further evidence of the glacial origin of this reservation.

History:

The donation to AVIS of eight acres of ecologically important swampland and high quality bird habitat by Phillips Academy in 1963 marked the beginning of this reservation. AVIS acquired the rest of the property between 1963 and 2008, through the purchase of separate parcels.

Formerly known as Rocky Hill Reservation, this reservation was renamed to the Peggy Keck Reservation in 2005 in honor of Peggy, an AVIS vice-president and Chairman of Land Acquisition for 20 years.

See the evolution of the reservation

Plants:

Walter Kittredge, a botanist from Harvard, compiled a list of the plants present at the Keck Reservation.

He categorized the plants into:

• Ferns
• Graminoids (grasses, sedges, and rushes)
• Herbaceous plant that isn't a graminoid
• Shrubs
• Trees
• Vines

Deer Hunting:

Deer hunting with bow and arrow from tree stands will be allowed on this Reservation during the state bow hunting season. For more information, see here.