A Land Steward’s Day: A Rare Moment Inside

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Pictured above: UVLT Land Steward Alexander van Engelen adjusts…

Birds Tell the Story

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Just as migrating birds begin to return to the Upper Valley,…

Putnam Farms Conserves Lower Plain Property in Charlestown

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UVLT’s purchase of a conservation easement on riverfront farmland…

Kevin and Alexander’s Excellent Adventure: A Duck Story

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With blistering winds and deep snow Land Stewards Kevin Brooker and Alexander van Engelen went out onto Smith Pond to check up on the condition of the Wood Duck boxes. Every year after the nesting season is over, duck boxes should be maintained by cleaning out old nesting material and replacing it with a fresh layer of wood shavings. This, of course, is best done when there is thick ice in winter, since the boxes are near or above water.

Bird Sanctuary Conserved in Weathersfield

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Marianne and Michael Walsh have donated a conservation easement…

Cultivating Connections: How Our Garden Supports Community and Conservation

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As we prepare for the 2025 growing season at our two food pantry gardens, we’ve spent time reflecting on the past year—celebrating the lessons learned, the tasks completed, the challenges met (and some unmet), and, of course, the wonderful volunteers who helped make it all happen! More than just growing vegetables, the garden is becoming a powerful tool for building connections, creating partnerships, and demonstrating how conservation benefits everyone in our communities.

The Last Ice: Glacial Lake Hitchcock

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What and where was Glacial Lake Hitchcock? What evidence is left in our region’s valleys, rocks, soil and waterways? On November 21, the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) brings filmmaker Greg Stott to White River Junction to show his new documentary about the effects of the last ice age in the Connecticut River Valley.

Hands on the Land: Trail Improvements at Zebedee Wetland

The Linny Levin Trail at Zebedee Wetland in Thetford has undergone…

Summer in the Woods

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This summer I’m interning with the Upper Valley Land Trust as a seasonal land steward! As a steward, my day-day changes a lot: sometimes you can find me in the office going over files and writing reports and on other days I’ll be out in the woods monitoring a property. I’ve had the opportunity to walk with a few landowners which has been wonderful, but usually my only company is me, myself, and I. Unless of course you count deer, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, an endless amount of bugs… oh and bears. Maybe it’s just an intern’s bad luck or this summer is a bear’s paradise, but I’ve already had a few encounters with our fuzzy black mammal friends. Because of this I thought I’d freshen up on my knowledge of ursus americanus.

In the Gardens

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As a UVLT intern this summer I have worked at the food pantry gardens at the Brookmead Conservation Area in Norwich, VT and the Up on the Hill Conservation Area in Charleston, NH. I have helped plant, maintain, and harvest produce to be donated to Willing Hands, the Claremont Soup Kitchen, and other local food pantries in the area. While every experience at the gardens has been rewarding there have been two extremely meaningful projects I have had the chance to work on this summer.