My Walden Conservation Area in Sharon, VT. A perfect place to picnic!

Where will you be eating outdoors?!

Today, UVLT President Jeanie McIntyre might hike to Trout Pond with a granola bar and a water bottle — but she remembers “the best picnic” at the summit of Wrights Mountain thirty years ago, when Conservation Commission members laid out a spread to raise funds for the Town’s first purchase of land there. They carried baskets of fine food and drink up the mountain and put a red and white tablecloth on the rocks. Ready to set up your own special meal? UVLT has 40 conservation areas and 50 trails for you to choose from. Lots of them offering great shade for HOT summer days.

Tag us @uppervalleylandtrust in your favorite picnic pic (on conserved land!!), and we’ll send you a UVLT ball cap to help keep you cool!

What's Happening at UVLT

New Conservation Easements

Last month, UVLT completed conservation easements that protect significant land resources in East Hanover and Lyme. The Rocky Knoll easement, donated by Roger Soderberg, connects a corridor of resilient land in the Tunis District, where UVLT owns 550 acres in two tracts. In Lyme, Kendall Hoyt and Manning Rountree expanded the Pinnacle Conservation Area, protecting a diverse habitat and securing a popular trail loop.

 Photo by Patty Armstrong, who joined UVLT VP Stewardship Jason Berard (pictured above) to place more than 60 signs along the Prouty route, July 1. “It was a great way to start my first day as UVLT Board chair!”

Proudly Promoting the Prouty!

Cyclists raising money for cancer research and treatment will ride through the Upper Valley on Saturday, July 13. The Prouty, a fundraiser for life-saving research and critical patient and family support services at Dartmouth Cancer Center, features over 250 miles of bike routes that pass numerous properties conserved by the Upper Valley Land Trust. We’ve marked conserved lands with signs and look forward to cheering for everyone involved in working for a healthy, hopeful future!

Canada Warbler. Photo by Jim Block, used with permission.

Bear Pond Census Documents Bird Species

A new report by Leonard Reitsma, Professor Emeritus of Ecology at Plymouth State University documents trends in species abundance and diversity at Bear Pond Natural Area, a 923-acre property in Canaan owned by UVLT and conserved under a very restrictive “forever wild” conservation easement. A study in 2004 established the methodology and 46 fixed sampling stations; reports in 2014 and 2024 used the same sites and protocols. Reitsma writes: “The hope is that these surveys will persist each decade. With burgeoning human populations, unprecedented loss and alteration of habitat, and documented rapid decline in biodiversity, these long-term data take on added significance locally, regionally and arguably even globally.”

Mission Monarch - Count the Cats (erpillars)!

August 3, 2024 | 9 - 10:30 AM

Join Sullivan County Education and Outreach Specialist Dawn Dextraze and the Upper Valley Land Trust on Saturday, August 3, to learn about monarch life cycles. During this event, we will actively search milkweed plants for monarch eggs, caterpillars, and adult butterflies as part of the 2024 International Monarch Monitoring Blitz. Learn more and register!

Stargazing at Mountain View Farm

August 4 or 5*, 2024 | 7:30 - 9:30 PM

Join us at Mountain View Farm on August 4 or 5 (*depending on the weather!) for our annual night under the stars, hosted with the Orford Conservation Commission. The event opens at 7:30 and starts at 8; bring blankets, chairs, snacks, and a flashlight. Learn more and register!

Okkervil River Benefit Concert at Whaleback

August 23, 2024 | Doors open at 5 PM

On August 23, the acclaimed indie rock band Okkervil River, whose founding members met at Kimball Union Academy, will return to the Upper Valley for a concert at Whaleback Mountain, with proceeds split between Whaleback and UVLT. Get your tickets now!

See More Events on Our Calendar

We Know You Love the Upper Valley. We Do Too.

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