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At many UVLT Conservation Areas and Trails, you’ll find simple visitor log books tucked into trailheads or under benches. Inside these pages are expressions of gratitude, alerts about blowdowns or trail work, lists of birds heard and seen, doodles, poems—tiny snapshots of outdoor experiences. Individually, they’re charming. Collected over years, they reveal something much deeper: the enduring connection between people and place.
While flipping through three volumes spanning nine years from a single Conservation Area, we noticed repeated entries from one couple. Across the pages, a story emerged. They got engaged. They marveled at the foliage. They brought along a new puppy. They got married. They came back to hunt. They weathered COVID. They had a child. Each entry marked a family milestone and a moment of appreciation for the landscape that held those memories. Most recently, they noted a visit with their now four-year-old and his baby sister, both beginning their own relationships with the land.
As we gather with family and friends this season, we hope you’ll find time to get outside and perhaps start a tradition of your own. UVLT’s new Conservation Areas Explorer page—recently featured in Daybreak—is now live and ready to help you discover a place close to home.
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Eagle Scout Builds Benches for Colette Trail |
| Jacob Rayno (left), and Silas Jokosky (right), enjoy a new bench along the Colette Trail. | As a lifelong resident of Enfield, Jacob Rayno grew up hiking the UVLT-conserved Colette Trail—so when it came time to plan his Eagle Scout project, building six Aldo Leopold benches along the trail was an easy choice. Working with the Enfield Conservation Commission, Jacob, who is Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 44, began planning the project over the summer of 2025. His employer, Clifford's Quality Tree Care & Landscaping, donated materials for the project, and Jacob has now completed all six benches and installed two on site, with the rest to come soon. | | |
2025 Food Pantry Garden's Wrap-Up | | The 2025 season at UVLT's Food Pantry Gardens proved both challenging and deeply rewarding. Even as drought conditions tested us through the second half of the season, the dedication of our volunteers carried us through. Thanks to the hundreds of hours they spent planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and showing up week after week, we were able to donate more than 2,820 pounds of fresh produce—that’s 9,777 servings, and 1,000 pounds more than last year—to our community partners. Thank you to all involved! | | |
Conservation Areas Help Locals Process Grief |
| Photo of Bill Nutt sculpture at My Walden. View looking west towards Killington and Pico. | | Recently, UVLT learned that members of the Dartmouth Health Palliative Care Bereavement Hiking Group regularly walk on UVLT-conserved land together. VP of Stewardship Jason Berard sat down with Kristen Johnson, the Palliative Care Program Manager of Bereavement Programs at the Jack Byrne Center at Dartmouth Health, to learn more. | | |
Trip Report: Bird Walk at Grant Brook | Pine siskin perched on a speckled alder branch. Photo by Jim Block. | A group of 15 intrepid birders joined Alexander van Engelen and Holly Henderson of UVLT and Fen Levy-O’Malley from Vermont Audubon for a bird walk along the confluence of Grant Brook and the Connecticut River in Lyme, NH on November 8. Although November might not seem like prime birding season, all were pleasantly surprised by the number and variety of species they spotted, including winter residents like the American tree sparrow and pine siskin (pictured in the great photo above by attendee Jim Block!) as well as some late migrants including an American robin and a lone red-tailed hawk. | UVLT Staff Visit Regional Conservation Nurseries | Last month, UVLT's Stewardship team toured the conservation nurseries at Intervale Conservation Nursery in Burlington and North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. We are excited to incorporate some of their strategies as we prepare to launch our own small-scale tree conservation nursery! Many thanks to Brook Fleischman of Intervale and Sean Beckett of North Branch for showing us around and sharing their knowledge. | | Noticing Nature: Winter Ecology Walk
Friday, December 12, 2-3:30 p.m.
Join us for an easy, guided hike to learn how plants and animals adapt to survive the coldest months of the year. During the walk, we will explore topics such as the subnivean (under snow) zone, tree bark and bud identification, moss ecology, wildlife “hibernation,” and winter wildlife tracking. Spaces are limited and registration is required. | Annual Winter Solstice Hike at Lyme Pinnacle
Sunday, December 21, 4-6 p.m.
Join the Upper Valley Land Trust for a winter hike to the top of Lyme Pinnacle. We’ll watch the sun set on the shortest day of the year, gather around a fire to celebrate the Winter Solstice—the official start of the season—and enjoy shared company, conversation, and hot chocolate. Please register and check our gear recommendations. | | We Know You Love the Upper Valley. We Do Too. | | | | |
