Brookvale Farm:
A Heritage Connecting Generations
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In an era when the number of small family farms has plummeted, the recently reestablished Brookvale Farm in Strafford, VT, stands out in many ways. It’s a hopeful sign and an authentic team effort made possible by family, friends, neighbors, and individuals across the region, united in their support of local agriculture.
In 2017, UVLT worked with members of the Manning family, who for generations owned the property. In the face of development pressure arrangements were made to protect their farm property through conservation easement. This made the farm’s selling price affordable for neighboring Rockbottom Farm, the home of Strafford Organic Creamery, allowing Rockbottom to pasture cows on the land and grow their business.
To pay for the conservation easement, UVLT pledged monies it had raised through a region-wide capital campaign to support transformative land conservation projects. Additional funding was raised via a matching challenge and contributions from more than 60 households in the area.
Keeping the land in productive agriculture was a success story on its own, but an even more remarkable outcome was in store.
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UVLT President Jeanie McIntyre to Retire |
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Jeanie has announced her plans to retire on June 30, 2026. Jeanie joined UVLT in 1987, two years after our founding, and has been a guiding force over her remarkable 39-year tenure.
Manning Rountree, of Lyme, NH, will re-join the UVLT Board of Trustees for his third term and will serve as interim president, effective July 1, while we conduct a national search for its next president.
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Field Notes Friday:
300 Installments and Going Strong
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In April we marked the 300th installment of Field Notes Friday, the weekly video series featuring nature nuggets, stewardship and conservation projects, and beautiful views of conserved land. This project was created during the COVID pandemic so we could keep connected to the outdoors while staying inside. Since then, its viewership has grown tremendously.
We are so grateful for what Field Notes has turned into and appreciate you coming along on the journey! Join us outside as we explore the natural world every Friday afternoon.
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Raise the Roof:
40 Years Strong
| Join us as we dedicate a new pavilion on this beautiful site! | |
On Saturday, June 27, UVLT will celebrate the close of our 40th anniversary year with a picnic party under a newly-raised pavilion at our Ely Mountain Conservation Area. It’s a perfect place to enjoy and reflect on the impact of UVLT’s mission and accomplishments, and to look forward and celebrate our future together as well.
We’ll gather in late afternoon for music and social time and wrap up with Edgewater Farm strawberries and cream. Earlier in the day are opportunities to meet the timber framers who assembled the pavilion, hike the Ely Mountain area, learn from naturalists, ecologists, and foresters, and participate in building an inventory of flora and fauna at Ely Mountain.
No need to RSVP, but mark your calendar now for this very special event! Rain date: Sunday, June 28.
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Trip Report:
3rd Annual Vernal Pools Hike
| Naturalist Holly Henderson leads great trips! | On April 11, UVLT, together with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and the Norwich Conservation Commission, hosted a hike to numerous pools at Brookmead Conservation Area to explore the biodiversity of these unique ecosystems. We saw egg masses of wood frog and spotted salamander, which are two common local species. Hikers to the upper pools were treated to egg masses belonging to the rare Jefferson’s salamander and a close encounter with a spotted salamander, which spends most of its life span underground during this special time in spring. | |
UVLT Food Pantry Gardens:
Produce for People in Need
| Volunteer Coordinator Cassie Bernyk with a beautiful row of cabbages. | |
Our food pantry gardens at the Brookmead Conservation Area in Norwich, VT, and Up on the Hill Conservation Area in Charlestown, NH, produce fruits and vegetables for distribution to hunger relief programs throughout the Upper Valley. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, since 2019 we’ve grown more than 17,500 pounds of food that has provided tens of thousands of servings of healthy produce.
The impact of these gardens reaches homes, strengthens community connections, and ensures that our neighbors have fresh, healthy food.
- Up on the Hill Food Pantry Garden: Mondays, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Brookmead Food Pantry Garden: Every Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Cassie Bernyk, cassie.bernyk@uvlt.org, to learn more.
| Hannaford Community Bag Program | Our month-long partnership with Hannaford supermarkets is underway! Every $2.50 reusable Community Bag sold throughout May 2026 at the 8 Market Street, W. Lebanon, NH, Hannaford store gives back $1 to UVLT. | More Upcoming Spring Events | | |
Spring 2026 Paddle the Border
Sunday, May 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
This event was started as a way for community organizations from Vermont and New Hampshire to work together to showcase our shared asset, the Connecticut River. The route down the river has the paddlers passing by UVLT conserved lands and a couple of our remote campsites, including our Howard Island campsites.
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Noticing Nature: Monthly Birding Walks
Saturday, May 23, 7-10 a.m.
Two separate walks at different paces are slated at Paradise Park in Windsor, VT.
These are part of series that will continue each month at different Upper Valley locations.
| | We know you love the Upper Valley. We do too. | | | | |
