Training Session for New Stewardship Volunteers

Do you like hiking off-trail? Do you enjoy visiting beautiful places?

Join the Upper Valley Land Trust’s team of volunteer easement stewards to monitor conserved properties all over the Upper Valley!

Stewardship volunteering involves meeting landowners of conserved land, hiking off-trail to find property boundaries with a map and compass, and recording what you see as you become our eyes and ears on permanently protected land.

This training includes an indoor session with general easement information and instruction on using a map and compass; then we will venture outside for hands-on field practice. For more information, please contact UVLT at (603) 643-6626 or email Monica.Erhart@uvlt.org.

When: April 18, 2009, 8:30am - 2:30pm

Where: Upper Valley Land Trust, 19 Buck Road, Hanover, NH 03755

See the flyer for the training at: http://www.uvlt.org/pdf/stewardship_training.pdf.

Brainstorm for Upper Valley Earth Day Events

We are going to begin having planning meetings for April Earth Day events. If you would like to participate in these meetings, please email noradoyle-burr@uvlt.org with times and days of the week that might work for you.

Please see the below list and provide us with your suggestions in the comment section, or by emailing noradoyle-burr@uvlt.org or calling (603) 643-6626 ext. 102. We can't do all of these activities. Help us to prioritize events that will be relevant and engaging for your communities.

Books and displays at libraries—(See the suggested list) UVLT can help to contact local librarians to look for display space, or Conservation Commissioners are welcome to take on this task.
Bioblitz
Games
Conservation themed art exhibits to go in library, post office, and store windows—this could involve a partnership with local art teachers.
Hikes to the “highest points” in Towns: Wright’s Mountain, Tucker Mountain, Sawyer Ledges; Pinnacle, etc.
Slide show or film festival, for example: “15 second short films on I-phones and digital cameras that could be put onto various computer screens for a village show. The kids can make up many kinds of skits to do with nature, green-up, trees or what-have-you, and act/edit, and then have them playing at an open house. For that matter, if there's a flurry of them, local TV stations may be willing to put a few on TV if asked.” (Peggy Willey, West Fairlee)
Music and/or dancing—Ideas for venues, or musicians?
Potluck dinner(s)—Ideas for venues?
Speaker series or a “big name”—Ideas for relevant topics, speakers, or venues?
Technical training like wetlands, shore land protection, climate change, energy, recycling—Ideas for speakers, venues, topics?
Displays of Posters or stories crafted by Upper Valley youths
Reading series – local authors—suggestions?
Stories/testimony from landowners and/or old-timers—suggestions?
Innovative Planning Dialogue—we could invite planners from the Upper Valley that have been involved in creative zoning
Easement Monitor Training—UVLT will be training new conservation easement monitor volunteers.
Spring Farm Tour—if there is interest, UVLT could arrange a day to tour several local farms. Families would be welcome.
Photographing Nature Workshops
Trail Work Days
Relevant writing prompts for middle school & high school students