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Woody Adams Conservation Forest Fundraising Complete!

April 14, 2021/0 Comments/in New Conservation Projects, What's New /by Alison Marchione

UVLT and the Norwich Conservation Commission are excited to announce the completion of our fundraising campaign to purchase and protect the Woody Adams Conservation Forest! With the support of 148 individuals and families in the community we were able to raise the $65,000 needed to complete the purchase of this important piece of upland forest […]

Why Are Paper Birch Trees So White?

April 1, 2021/0 Comments/in Other UVLT News, UVLT Conserved Lands, What's New /by Alison Marchione

By Michael J. Carlowicz Jr., Dartmouth Class of 2022 Betula papyrifera, or the paper birch tree, is a common sight for hikers in northern North American forests. As the state tree of New Hampshire, the paper birch can be easily identified by its white-colored bark, which peels off in thin paper-like layers. Most trees have dark […]

Brookmead Conservation Area

March 18, 2021/0 Comments/in UVLT Conserved Lands, What's New /by Alison Marchione

As part of its plan to address financial challenges facing the Vermont State College System, Vermont Technical College is selling surplus real estate including 6 acres in Norwich adjacent to UVLT’s Brookmead Conservation Area. The Herald interviewed VTC President Pat Moulton about the school’s plan. Some community members have been concerned that the sale might affect […]

Our Mission

We provide conservation leadership, tools and expertise to permanently protect the working farms, forested ridges, wildlife habitat, water resources, trails and scenic landscapes that surround residential areas and commercial centers and make the Upper Valley a truly special place to live. We work with local conservation commissions and volunteer groups to identify and prioritize land conservation opportunities. We provide technical assistance and conservation solutions for landowners. We steward permanent agreements that conserve key properties forever.

UVLT focuses its mission in 45 Vermont and New Hampshire towns in the upper Connecticut River Valley. UVLT is a sponsor member of the Land Trust Alliance, an organization that promotes land conservation by providing advocacy and professional resources to over 1600 land trusts nationwide. UVLT has adopted LTA’s Standards and Practices for land trust operations. In 2012, The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded accredited status to UVLT; the seal of Accreditation shows that UVLT has met the national standards for excellence to uphold the public trust and ensure that its conservation efforts are permanent.

Acknowledgement of Abenaki Lands

Indigenous People have cared for this land for centuries. The land that the Upper Valley Land Trust owns, conserves, and works on, and the land on which we all live, was first stewarded and cared for by indigenous people of the Abenaki Nation, a tribe of the Wabanaki Confederacy. These are the traditional, ancestral, unceded lands of Abenaki people, taken from them by violence. Current day non-indigenous people have benefited from that violence, and that is a history that we are reckoning with.

Indigenous People are not gone, they live here and are a part of the past, present, and future of our land and our communities. We know this acknowledgement is a small step in a bigger process of greater awareness of Native sovereignty and cultural rights. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Abenaki people, past and present.