New Website Celebrates Land; People
The Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) in conjunction with web developer, Monique Priestley has created a new website, Upper Valley Story-Scape (UVSS). The site aims to enable Upper Valley residents and visitors to share stories, images, videos and audio about favorite Upper Valley places. This website is the latest in our efforts to document and celebrate the region; its land and its people.
The new website, www.uvstoryscape.org, is based on a similar site called, Voices for the Lake (www.voicesforthelake.org) that was created by the ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center in Burlington. The difference between the two sites is fairly simple, Voices for the Lake is an online forum for sharing images, videos, audio and written stories about Lake Champlain and the surrounding area. Upper Valley Story-Scape is structured similarly as a place to share the same type of content, but about the living things and landforms of the Upper Valley region.
The site is up now; fully functioning and ready for fresh content. UVLT has “seeded†the site with images, videos, and stories from our archives, but the project is not meant to be about the Upper Valley Land Trust. The site is intended to be a place for sharing all kinds of stories about place – places residents fly kites, walk their dogs, learn to swim or bike, pick strawberries, or see moose. Everyone has a story like this to share. And we can learn from each other of new ways to experience and celebrate the special place that is the Upper Valley.
There are several different ways that visitors to the site can participate. The Upper Valley Story-Scape Facebook page includes occasional posts to stimulate visitors thinking. One example of such a prompt is, “Describe your favorite place to take a walk, or get a breath of fresh air. Where is it? What about that special place helps you to relax before or after a long day?†The UVSS site, www.uvstoryscape.org, includes a link to this Facebook page, as well as suggested resources for those interested in getting involved in the work of groups like the Upper Valley Land Trust that work to conserve and steward the region’s natural resources. The site also includes a calendar with local events relating to land stewardship.
This project is an experiment for UVLT and we welcome feedback and suggestions from the community. We hope this will become the online place to go for folks looking to share outdoor experiences with friends and neighbors. So, please spread the word!
We welcome opportunities for collaborations in hosting and arranging technical trainings to show community members how to use the site, or outdoor events and activities that may help us to develop content for the site. Please let UVLT’s Programs Coordinator know if you’d like to schedule a training or activity of this sort.
