Take a page out of Jason's current book choice...

September 6 is "Read a Book Day!"

When given the chance our UVLT team opts to be outside, but when they aren't they make sure the outside is never far away, especially when it comes to their reading choices!

In honor of "National Read a Book Day" we asked our staff what their current book selections look like. Hear what they have to say!

Books we are reading: Jason is reading The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger; on Jason’s recommendation, Jeanie picked up Janisse Ray’s Wild Spectacle: Seeking Wonders in a World beyond Humans, and Susie is looking forward to the September 10 publication of forester Ethan Tapper’s new book How to Love a Forest,The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.

Better yet, take a walk on our "Story Walk Trail" at Lyme Hill Conservation Area, and experience the joy of reading a book while on your feet! The next featured story is Redwoods by local author, Jason Chin.

What's Happening at UVLT

Remembering Dennis DeVaux

When the Hanover High School class of 1974 gathered for its 50-year reunion last month, their agenda included getting to know the DeVaux Wildlife Area bequeathed to UVLT by their classmate Dennis DeVaux. Reunion organizers joined UVLT staff to clear the trails and mow the openings in preparation for visits over the three-day reunion. The class purchased and placed a memorial stone near the small orchard Dennis had maintained. While onsite, Ali Wagner led two birdwalks, and visitors were delighted to see a variety of species, identifying and tracking along the way. We are grateful to learn more about Dennis through the classmates who knew and admired him and we appreciate their commitment to help us care for the place he loved.

A Timbernoodle, also known as a "woodcock," charismatically crosses a dirt road!

The News From “The Dismal” Isn’t Dismal!

The summer of 2023 was far rainier than usual making annual late-season mowing of wet meadow habitat impossible in some cases. At “The Dismal at Pressey Brook,” 239 acres that UVLT owns off Goose Pond Road in Hanover, shrubs and invasive plants thrived, significantly encroaching on the grassland that, in late autumn, was still too wet to mow. We had to wait for frozen ground before bringing in equipment to cut back the buckthorn and other invaders. What a difference a year makes! Naturalist and volunteer Jim Kennedy visited the property a few weeks ago and was delighted to report: “Congratulations on the machine treatment of glossy buckthorn and the creation of gaps in the shrub line at the Dismal fields. We just visited there and saw many signs of wildlife - bear, moose, and, best of all, some woodcock!”

UVLT Staff to Attend Land Trust Alliance Rally

UVLT’s Jason Berard, Peg Merrens, and Susie Howard will be heading to Providence, Rhode Island later this month for the 2024 National Land Conservation Conference hosted by the Land Trust Alliance. The Alliance represents nearly 950 member land trusts supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members and financial supporters nationwide, who together have conserved more than 60 million acres. UVLT’s work is part of that tally! We’re proud to join with conservation practitioners from all over the country to strengthen the expertise and networks that will enable all of us to conserve and steward more land!

Monarch Tagging at Up On The Hill!

Saturday, September 7, 2024 | 3 - 5 PM

Come join us for Monarch Tagging THIS Saturday!

September 2–15 is peak monarch butterfly migration week for our area. Scientists who study monarch migration use information gathered from observations recorded online and tagging programs to learn more about this amazing natural phenomenon. Everyone is invited to help Sullivan County Conservation District & Upper Valley Land Trust collect more information through monarch tagging. Learn more and register today!

Stargazing at Mountain View Farm

Friday, September 6, 2024 | 7:15- 9:30 PM

Join us at Mountain View Farm THIS Friday (9/6) for our annual night under the stars, hosted with the Orford Conservation Commission. The event opens at 7:15 pm for those who want to come early and find their perfect viewing spot. The tour of the night sky begins at 8 pm. In the past, participants have brought a picnic dinner to enjoy the time spent waiting for the sun to set. Please bring your own blankets and chairs, and a flashlight or headlamp, which are necessary to find your way when leaving the event! Please also bring layers to wear, as the temps will be chilly after dark! Learn more and register!

Fall Paddle the Border

Save the date for Sunday, October 6!

FROM NEWBURY BOAT LAUNCH (Next to Haverhill/Newbury Bridge) to

BUGBEE LANDING (Next to the Bradford Golf Course) 

The Paddle The Border (PTB) 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.

For further information contact Mike Thomas (802) 757-3960 or email mikethom1@charter.net.

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

Become a part of the conservation solution and DONATE and/or VOLUNTEER today!